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Photogmphic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


1 


■^ 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductious  histtoriques 


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D 


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5 

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d 
e 
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rl 
rt 
m 


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10X 

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18X 

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y 

12X 


16X 


20X 


24X 


?8X 


32r. 


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Harold  Campbell  Vaughan  Memorial  Library 
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Harold  Campbell  Vaughan  Memorial  Library 
Acadia  University 


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or  illustrated  impression. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  -♦-  (meaning  "CON- 
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whichever  applies. 

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required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  images  suivantes  ont  dtd  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  et 
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filmage. 

Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprimde  sont  filmds  sn  commen^ant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  selon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
origiriaux  sont  fiimds  en  commenpant  par  le 
premidre  page  q-ji  corr-porte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  dernidre  page  qui  corrsporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboies  suivants  apparattra  sur  la 
dernidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbole  — ►signifie  "A  SUIVRE  ",  le 
symbole  V  signifie  "FIN". 

Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  dtre 
filmds  d  des  taux  de  rdduction  diffdrents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  dtre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clichd,  il  est  filmd  d  partir 
de  I'angle  supdrieur  gauche,  de  gauche  d  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  pronant  le  nombre 
d'images  ndcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivunts 
illustrent  la  mdthode. 


1 

2 

3 

1 


A 


GEN.  ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


("OLD   PUT.") 


%  iioflrajjlg. 


»v 


GEORGE   CANNING   HILL 


NEW  YORK 

WORTHINGTON  CO.,  747  BROADWAY 

1688 


Eatered  ocwrd'ng  to  tne  A«  rfOmigwM.  «  H^  i  « .   .838,  by 

E.  O.  LIBBY  Sc  Co., 

b  the  Cl«rk'.  Ofllcs  of  Uw  Dutriot  Oout  &r  the  ^^Lkt  of  Massa^hu^tH 


CONTENTS. 

CUAPTER  I 

Paqi 

EARLY    LIfE, 9 

CHAPTER  IL 

THE    rAENCR    WAR, ,28 

CUAPTER  III. 

CONTINUATION   07  THB    FRENCH    W4JL  ....         49 

CHAPTER  IV. 
CAMPAIGN  OF  1758,  ...  ...       69 

CUAPTER  V. 

END  OF  THB   FRENCH   WAR, 95 

CUAPTER  VI. 

OrENINO   OF  THB   REVOLUTION,  •  .  »  *  .      lOS 


a  1  (pL  i 


■^ 


^^^^  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    VII. 

BATTLE   OP  BUNKER  IULL  ^^**"' 

'  •        •        •         •        .        .135 

CHAPTER    VIII. 

SIEGE  OF  BOSTON. 

' 162 

CHAPTER   IX. 

OPEBATION8  IN  NEW  YORK 

' 179 

CHAPTER   X. 

RETREAT  OP  THE  AMEPIC.iN  ARMY 

'  •        •        •        .198 

CHAPTER   XI. 

IN  THE  HIGHLANDS,      ... 

•  •  .  .     220 

CHAPTER   XII. 

PUTNAM  AT  WEST  POINT  AND  DANBUBY,  „^^ 

CHAPTER   XIII. 

HIS  LAST  DAYS, 

258 


GEN.  ISRAEI  PFTNAI. 


CHAPTEK    I. 


EARLY  LIFE. 


ALMOST  every   popular  favorite  has.   hia 
nickname.    Tiiey  called  General  Jackson 
"Old    Hickory;"  General    Taylor  was 
known   everywhere    through   the   camp   by   the 
name  of  "  Old  Zack ; "  and,  not  to  interpose  too 
many  mstances  between  our  own  times  and  his 
General  Israel  Putnam,  of  Revolutionary  mem-' 
ory,  waa  better  known  by  the  whole  army  under 
the  familiar  title  of  "  Old  Put "  than  either  by  the 
military   rank  he   had   honestly   earned,   or  the 
smiple   Scriptural  name  his  father  and   mother 
gave  him. 

Israel  Putnam  was  a  marked  character  in 
days  when  if  would  appear  as  if  almost  every 
man  stood  out  as  an  exemplar.     He  lived  in  stir- 


10 


GEN.    ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


ring  times,  and  was  not  a  wliit  behind  the  rest  in 
helping  io  create  the  stir.  Few  aiTiong  the  long 
roll  of  the  patriots  of  the  Revohitioii,  addressed 
themselves  to  the  great  questions,  as  they  came 
up,  with  greater  zeal  tlian  he,  or  with  a  more 
stout  and  rugged  determination  to  secure  peace 
on  the  basis  of  simple  justice.  It  must  be 
allowed,  too,  that  he  had  a  strong  love  for  adven- 
ture in  his  nature,  and  was  as  ready  at  any  lime 
for  a  warlike  foray,  or  a  dangerous  expedition 
into  a  wilderness  swarming  with  Indians,  a^  he 
was  for  a  frolic  at  harvest-time,  or  an  exciting 
wolf-hunt  with  the  young  farmers  in  midwinter. 
The  life  of  Putnam  was  a  romance  almost  from 
the  bej-^inning;  yet  no  one  was  apparently  better 
contented  than  he  amid  the  j)eaceful  scenes  of  the 
country  life  of  those  days,  or  enjoyed  himself 
more  in  the  quiet  atmosjjhere  of  his  farm,  his 
home,  and  his  friends.  In  this  respect  he  might 
be  said,  like  some  other  men,  to  have  had  two 
natures :  one  continually  exciting  him  to  action 
and  deeds  of  boldness  and  bravery,  and  the  other 
tempering  him  down  to  the  tone  of  those  homely, 
e very-day  joys  that,  after  all,  are  the  richest 
resources  a  man's  heart  ever  knows. 


EARLY   LIFE. 


11 


Israel  Putnam  was  born  in  Salem,  Mass.,  on 
the  7th  day  of  January,  1718.  His  mother  had 
twelve  children,  of  whom  he  was  the  eleventh 
in  order.  The  house  still  stands  in  which  he 
was  born,  and  is  exactly  half-way,  on  the  turn- 
pike, between  Newburyport  and  Boston.  The 
family  emigrated  from  one  of  the  southern  coun- 
ties of  England,  in  the  year  1634,  and  settled 
in  that  part  of  Salem,  known  as  Danvers.  The 
original  family  name  was  spelled  Puttenham, 
instead  of  Putnam.  Israel  was  the  great-grand- 
son of  the  one  who  first  planted  the  name  in 
that  part  of  the  country,  Mr.  John  Putnam ;  his 
father's  Christian  name  being  Joseph,  his  grand- 
father's Thomas,  and  his  great-grandfather's  John 
as  just  mentioned.  He  was  a  courageous  boy, 
and  many  daring  acts  of  his  youth  are  preserved 
by  tradition  among  the  different  branches  of  the 
old  family  stock.  He  loved  adventure  and  ex- 
citement, and  was  apt  to  be  foremost  in  those 
bold  and  reckless  undertakings  for  which  boys 
are  generally  so  ready.  His  early  education  was 
limited,  as  one  must  readily  infer  when  he 
reflects  that  schools  o^  any  kind  were  not  a 
common  privilege  in  those  days.     The  popu/a- 


i 


12 


GEN.    ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


Hon  was  very  much  scattered,  instead  of  being 
gathered  into  towns  and  villages  as  now,  and 
good  schools  would  have  been  ^juitc  dillicult  to 
support.  Besides,  as  he  was  brouglit  up,  the 
most  of  liis  time  was  required  on  the  farm,  help- 
ing about  the  regular  work  in  such  ways  as  boys 
of  his  age  are  taught  and  expected  to  do.  Had 
his  education  been  diflerent  when  he  was  young, 
there  is  no  doubt  that  he  would  have  wrought 
with  a  still  wider  influence  on  the  minds  of  the 
men  of  the  Revolution.  But  it  was  sufficient 
proof  of  his  inherent  strength  and  greatness,  that 
he  rose,  as  he  did,  superior  to  all  the  obstacles 
that  were  thrown  in  his  path,  and  wrote  his  own 
name  legibly  on  the  page  of  his  country's  his- 
tory It  is  not  every  man,  even  with  the  aid  of 
many  more  advantages  than  he  enjoyed,  who 
succeeds  in  doing  what  he  did  for  his  country- 
men and  himself. 

We  said  that  he  was  courageous,  and  some- 
times reclvless,  when  a  boy .  but  his  disposition 
was  not  quarrelsome.  When  he  was  assailed,  he 
stood  his  ground  without  flinching ;  but  he  was 
not  in  the  habit  of  picking  quarrels  with  any  one. 
Wlieii  he  went  up  to  Boston  for  the  first  time  in 


■i.t0»*- 


iiiABL^    LLb'E. 


18 


his  life,  one  of  liie  young  to\\n-tbliows,  a  groat 
doal  older  and  bigger  than  liimselt',  saw  liira 
coming  along  the  street  in  his  dress  of  plain 
honu  spun,  staring  at  the  signs  and  the  windows, 
and  taken  up,  as  almost  every  true  rustic  is,  at 
least  once,  with  what  he  saw  and  heard  around 
him ;  and,  thinking  to  have  some  fun  out  of  the 
country  fellow,  he  taunted  liim  with  liis  dress, 
his  gait,  his  manners,  and  his  general  appearance. 
Young  Putnam  bore  it  as  well  and  as  long  as  he 
could.  He  looked  around  and  saw  that  a  crowd 
had  collected,  who  seemed  to  be  enjoying  them- 
selves at  his  expense.  His  blood  rose  at  length, 
and  he  determined  to  submit  no  longer.  Sud- 
denly he  turued  upon  the  ill-mannered  city  youth, 
and  gave  him  such  a  thorough  flogging  on  the 
spot  as  not  only  silenced  his  impudence,  but  like- 
wise drew  forth  the  instant  admiration  of  the 
crowd,  who  were,  but  a  moment  before,  so  wil- 
Img  to  enjoy  his  own  humiliation.  Tliis  single 
little  affair  was  wholly  characteristic  of  the  man, 
as  he  afterwards  showed  himself  on  a  wider 
theatre. 

Very  few    incidents    of    a    well-defined    and 
authentic  nature,  have  come  down  to  us  in  iiius- 
2 


)4 


GEN.    TfiRAKT,   PTTTNAM. 


I 


tration  of  tlio  bovhood  of  Putram;  indeed,  when 
we  consider  tliat  lie  was  nothing  more  than  a 
plain  farmer's  boy,  of  whom  no  one  ever  thought, 
except  as  other  boys  were  commonly  thought  of, 
whose  advantages  were  few,  and  whose  educa- 
tion was  limited,  who  had  no  other  aim  in  life 
than  simply  to  do  his  work  well  and  make  as 
respectable  a  man  as  his  father  before  him, — it 
is  evident  that  few  facts  could  have  accumulated 
at  the  most,  going  to  show  his  native  superiority 
to  anybody  else  of  his  own  age  and  condition. 
It  was  after  he  made  himself  conspicuous  in  the 
eyes  of  his  countrymen,  that  his  relatives  began  to 
collect  such  scanty  materials  relating  to  his  youth 
as  family  tradition  chanced  to  have  handed 
down ;  not  happening  to  have  been  born  great, 
or  renowned,  of  course  no  record  was  kept  of 
those  early  years  before  he  achieved  for  himself 
what  he  afterwards  so  honorably  did  achieve. 

lie  was  twenty-one  years  old  when  he  was 
married,  which  event  occurred  in  the  year  1739, 
His  wife  was  Miss  Hannah  Pope,  whose  fathe/ 
— Mr.  John  Popo — lived  in  Salem  also  ;  and 
their  family  afterwards  counted  four  sons  and  six 
da  11  £f liters.     The  year  after  he  married,  he  emi- 


EARLY   LIFE. 


15 


grated  from  Salem  to  the  town  of  Pomfret,  in 
Connecticut,  where  he  had  bought  a  tract  of  land 
for  the  purpose.  The  part  of  Pomfret  in  which 
he  settled  is  now  included  in  the  pleasant  little 
inland  town  of  Brooklyn  ;  and  the  outlines  of  the 
foundation  of  his  house  are  still  to  be  distinctly 
traced  in  the  turf,  together  with  the  raised  walk 
up  to  the  door.  The  well  he  digged  is  yet 
pointed  out,  though  it  is  not  at  present  used  ;  and 
in  one  of  the  old  elm  trees  that  stood  before  his 
door,  are  the  iron  staples  on  which  he  hung  tlie 
tavern  sign,  just  before  the  Revolutionary  days, 
to  inform  travellers  that  he  could  temporarily 
entertain  both  themselves  and  their  beasts. 

There  was  no  better  farmer  in  his  day,  the 
whole  country  round,  than  young  Mr.  Israel  Put- 
nam proved  himself  to  be.  He  opened  new  and 
uncultivated  lands  ;  built  good  walls  and  fences  ; 
stocked  his  pastures  ;  planted  his  orchards  ; 
erected  a  comfortable  and  most  delightful  home- 
stead ;  and,  by  his  thrift,  industry,  and  true  agri- 
cultural taste,  succeeded,  in  a  short  time,  in 
establishing  himself  as  a  well-to-do  and  most 
successful  farmer.  lie  had  a  young  family  brood 
groAving  up  about  him.     His  herds   and  Hocks 


16 


GEN.    ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


increased  and  multiplied.  He  found  that  his 
land  was  especially  adapted  to  the  raising  of 
sheep,  and,  accordingly,  he  bent  his  energies  to 
the  production  of  wool.  So  successful  was  he 
in  this  enterprise  in  a  brief  period  of  time,  that 
he  was  popularly  reckoned  one  oi  the  largest 
wool  growers  of  the  country,  and  his  profits 
accumulated  at  a  rate  that  soon  put  him  in  cir- 
cumstances beyond  the  possible  reach  of  poverty 
or  want. 

It  was  owing  altogether  to  his  having  taken  so 
extensive  an  interest  in  the  raising  of  sheep,  that 
his  adventure  with  the  wolf  became  a  piece  of 
history.  During  several  seasons  he  seemed  to 
have  sufT  red  from  rather  hard  luck,  both  in  his 
crops  and  his  live  stock  ;  what  with  drought,  and 
dry-rot,  and  hard  winters,  he  felt  that  his  losses, 
continued  through  several  ensuing  years,  were 
quite  as  large  as  he  felt  able  to  submit  to.  But 
when  it  came  to  the  losses  in  his  sheep-fold, 
which  were  more  and  more  severe  every  winter, 
he  roused  himself  to  see  if  the  mischief  could  not 
by  some  means  be  stopped  where  it  was.  It  was 
pretty  conclusively  proved  that  the  work  of 
slaughter  was   performed  by  a  single  she-wolf, 


EARLY    LIFE. 


17 


who,  with  her  new  family  of  whelps  every  year, 
came  from  a  long  distance  to  get  her  regular 
winter's  living  otf  the  fatlings  of  his  hill  sides  and 
pastures.  Nor  was  le  the  only  sufferer  by  her 
bold  depredations.  Nearly  all  the  neighboring 
farmers  were  forced  to  submit  to  these  losses,  as 
well  as  himself,  and  they  were  quite  ready  to 
undertake,  with  him,  the  destruction  of  the  raven- 
ous creature  who  was  committing  such  a  general 
havoc. 

This  she-wolf  was  an  old  jade,  and  very  sly 
and    shrewd   withal.       Almost    every   year    the 
hunters,  with  their  dogs,  had  fallen  in  with  some 
of  her  whelps,  and  made  an  end  of  them  on  the 
spot ;  but  they  never  could  manage  to  come  ujX)n 
her  in  a  position  from  which  she  did  not  possess 
the  cuiming  to  somehow  escape.      Once  they  had 
succeeded  in  getting  her  to   put   her  foot   into 
their  steel-trap  ;  but  lather  than  wait  for  them  to 
come  to  a  final  settlement  with  her  for  her  many 
crimes,  she  concluded  she  had  better  lose  her  toes 
and  make  the  best  of  her  way  off  without  them. 
She  preferred  to  sacrifice  these,  and  so  save  her 
skin  whole. 

Putnam   got   together   five   of  his   neighbors 


I        I 


18 


GEN.  ISRAEL  PLTNAM. 


therefore,  and  laid  before  them  his  proposal  to 
hunt  the  old  wolf  down  ;  not  to  give  her  any 
further  rc^st  or  peace  until  they  got  her  into  a 
place  from  which  there  could  be  no  escape.  The 
arrangement  was,  that  they  were  to  take  turns  at 
the  business,  two  at  a  time,  and  follow  her  up  day 
and  night,  till  she  was  traced  to  her  den,  unless 
they  might  have  the  good  luck  to  destroy  her 
before  she  reached  it.  It  was  early  in  the  winter 
v/hen  the  pursuit  began,  and,  as  it  happened,  a 
light  snow  had  fallen  to  aid  them  in  their  design. 
The  clipped  toes  of  one  of  the  creature's  feet, 
too,  would  assist  the  hunters  in  following  her 
track,  of  which  fact  they  were  not  slow  to  take 
advantage. 

They  came  upon  her  footprints,  after  a  time, 
and  pursued  her  along  by  this  single  mark  of  the 
lost  toes  through  the  country  to  the  Connecticut 
river;  showing  that  she  was  at  least  an  extensive 
traveller.  Reaching  the  river's  bank,  and  finding 
her  course  thus  intercepted,  back  she  started 
again  for  Pomfret.  The  hunters  were  close  upon 
her,  and  readily  found  where  she  had  doubled 
upon  her&elf.  They  pressed  on  as  hastily  as  they 
could,  over  hill  and  through  vale,  pushing  through 


EARLY   LIFE. 


19 


osal  fo 

ler  any 

into  a 

I.     The 

urns  at 

up  day 

,  unless 

roy  hei 

I  winter 

>ened,  a 

design. 

i's   feet, 

ng    her 

to  take 

time, 
of  the 
lecticut 
tensive 
[finding 
Istartcd 
|e  upon 
loubled 
Ls  they 
irough 


swamps  and  wooded  places  after  her,  as  if  noth- 
ing had  stood  in  her  way.  At  an  early  hour  on 
the  second  morning  after  setting  out,  they  had 
succeeded  in  driving  her  into  her  den  in  a  rocky 
ledge,  situated  some  three  miles  to  the  north  from 
Putnam's  house,  and  within  the  limits  of  the 
town  of  Pomfret. 

She  was  carefully  watched  by  one  of  the  men, 
while  the  other  went  to  give  the  alarm  to  the 
farmers  around.  It  was  not  long  before  the 
woodo  in  the  vicinity  of  the  cave  were  swarming 
with  the  male  inhabitants  of  the  town,  including 
a  pretty  large  sprinkling  of  boys.  They  brought 
along  with  them  a  liberal  supply  of  dogs,  guns, 
straw,  and  sulphur,  prepared  to  smoke  her  out, 
burn  her  out,  punch  her  out,  or,  in  any  event,  to 
shoot  her.  The  shouting  and  the  clamor  re- 
sounded a  great  ways  from  the  steep  hill-side 
where  the  transaction  took  place,  as  if  they  had 
come  with  the  intention  to  make  a  good  time  of 
it.  The  boys,  in  particular,  were  delighted  with 
the  prospect  of  the  fun  there  was  ahead,  and 
kicked  and  capered  about  in  the  exuberance  of 
their  spirits.  It  was  a  great  thing  for  them  to  be 
allowed  to  take  a  part  in  such  sport  with  their 
elders. 


■I 


20 


GEN.   ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


After  a  council  of  war  had  been  held,  and  a 
close  scrutiny  of  the  retreat  chosen  by  their 
crafty  enemy  had  been  indulged  in,  it  was  gene- 
rally concluded  that  the  wolf  was  not  such  a 
great  fool  in  going  into  this  cavity  as  they  might 
have  thought  her.  She  was,  to  all  intents  and 
purposes,  in  her  fortress.  How  should  they  go  to 
work  to  get  her  out  ?  At  first  they  tried  tantali- 
zation,  —  sending  in  their  dogs,  who  came  out 
again  yelping  and  crying,  with  lacerated  skins, 
and  torn  and  bloody  noses,  showing  how  skil- 
fully she  had  used  her  claws  in  her  own  defence. 
They  could  not  prevail  on  the  dogs  that  had  tried 
the  entrance  once,  to  go  in  the  second  time.  So 
they  next  hit  upon  the  plan  to  stuff  in  lighted 
bundles  of  straw,  sprinkled  liberally  with  sulphur, 
hoping  thus  to  smoke  her  out.  They  very  truly 
argued  that,  if  she  could  stand  that,  she  must  be 
too  much  for  thevi  to  think  of  attacking.  Ac- 
cordingly, the  straw  was  piled  in,  and  set  on  fire. 
The  dense  volumes  of  smoke  rose  and  rolled 
slowly  into  the  cave,  and  the^y  thought  they  were 
going  to  secure  their  game  this  time  without  any 
further  trouble.  But  they  looked,  and  continued 
to  look  in  vain  for  the  appearance  of  anything 


EARLY   LIFE. 


21 


like  a  wolf.  The  smoke  could  not  have  reached 
her ;  or,  if  it  did,  it  failed  to  have  the  effect  upon 
her  ihey  had  calculated. 

Time  was  wearing  on  in  this  way,  and  nothing 
seemed  likely  to  come  of  all  their  labor  at  last. 
It  wanted  now  but  about  a  couple  of  hours  to 
midnight.  They  were  not  willing  to  go  home 
and  leave  their  dreaded  enemy  where  she  was, 
unharmed,  and  free  to  repeat  her  bloody  mischief. 
Again  they  tried  to  coax  the  dogs  to  go  in;  but 
they  could  not  so  readily  make  the  animals  forget 
the  rough  treatment  they  had  received  on  a 
previous  visit.  Israel  Putnam  felt  the  need  of 
some  one's  making  a  decisive  movement,  lest  the 
matter  should  fall  through  entirely.  He  therefore 
ordered  a  man-servant  to  undertake  the  step 
needed;  but  he  declined  very  positively.  An 
appeal  was  made  to  the  whole  company  present, 
to  know  if  there  was  any  one  who  dared  under- 
take this  most  undesirable  piece  of  business ;  but 
the  appeal  was  made  in  vain.  Neither  man  nor 
boy  was  willing  to  risk  his  life  in  an  encounter 
with  a  mad  animal  at  the  further  end  of  a  sub- 
terranean cave,  which  had  already  shown  such  a 
disposition  to  stand  her  ground  and  face  her 
opponents  down  at  any  hazard. 


T 


22 


GEN.  ISRAEL   PUTNAM. 


Finally  it  became  difficult  to  endure  this  state 
of  suspense  any  longer,  and  Putnam  took  hU 
resolution.  It  was  a  bold,  and  no  doubt  a  very 
reckless  one ;  but  when  he  considered,  in  a  flash 
of  his  thought,  the  amount  of  the  losses  incurred 
by  his  neighbors  as  well  as  himself,  from  the  de- 
predations of  this  ravenous  wild  beast,  he  won- 
dered how  it  was  possible  for  any  one  to  hesitate. 
He  declared  he  would  go  down  and  meet  the  old 
wolf  himself.  The  farmers  were  overwhelmed 
with  astonishment,  and  tried  to  dissuade  him 
from  carrying  out  his  rash  purpose.  But  all  they 
could  say  had  no  effect  whatever  upon  him. 
He  wa9  determined  to  put  an  end  to  the  ex- 
istence of  the  wolf,  and  to  do  it  on  that  very 
night. 

Weil  aware  of  the  fear  inspired  in  a  wild 
animal  by  the  sight  of  fire,  he  provided  himself 
with  a  large  quantity  of  birch  bark,  torn  into 
shreds,  before  going  into  the  cave,  and  lighted  a 
sufficient  number  for  his  immediate  purpose. 
These  furnished  all  the  light  he  had  by  which  to 
guide  himself  along  the  winding  passages  of  the 
rocky  cavern.  Stripping  ofl'  his  coat  and  waist- 
coat, with  a  lighted  torch  in  one  hand,  he  entered 


EARLY   LIFE. 


2a 


the  dark  aperture  at  near  midnight,  crawling 
slowly  upon  liis  hands  and  knees. 

Tlie  mouth  of  the  wolf's  den  was  about  two 
feet  scjuare.  From  this  point  it  proceeds  down- 
wards about  fifteen  feet,  then  it  runs  horizontally 
for  some  ten  feet  more,  and  afterwards  it  ascends 
very  easily  for  sixteen  feet  towards  its  termina- 
tion. The  sides  of  the  cave  are  of  solid  rock,  and 
quite  smooth ;  the  top  and  bottom  are  of  the 
same  material ;  it  is  but  three  feet  in  width,  and 
in  no  part  can  a  man  stand  upright.  Putnam 
groped  his  way  along  by  the  aid  of  his  flaring 
and  smoking  torches,  until  he  reached  the  level 
portion  of  the  cavity.  All  was  still  as  a  tomb, 
and  his  feeble  torchlight  was  able  to  penetrate 
but  a  little  distance  into  the  surrounding  gloom. 
He  was  obliged  to  advance  but  slowly,  t^nd  every 
few  moments  it  became  necessary  for  him  to 
renew  his  torch,  which  he  did  with  the  greatest 
care,  lest  it  might  go  out  in  the  lighting,  and  he 
be  left  in  the  profoundest  darkness. 

After  creeping  over  the  ten  feet  of  the  level 
portion  of  the  cave,  he  came  to  the  ascent.  On- 
ward he  dragged  his  slow  and  toilsome  way,  till 
his  progress  was  suddenly  arrested  by  the  sight 


^^p 


24 


GEN.  ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


of  a  pair  of  glaring  eyeballs  at  the  very  extremity 
of  th(  cavern.  There  Bat  the  old  wolf  herself; 
and,  as  she  saw  the  Hash  of  the  torch  he  carried 
in  his  hand,  she  gnashed  her  teeth  and  utteied  a 
low  and  threatening  growl.  The  brave  and  ven- 
turesome young  farmer  took  a  hasty  view  of 
+hings  in  the  cave,  and  then  gave  a  kick  at  the 
rope  which  his  friends  had  tied  about  one  of  his 
legs  before  he  made  the  descent,  by  way  of  pre- 
caution. Fearing  that  the  worst  had  befallen 
him,  they  pulled  more  excitedly  at  the  rope  than 
was  necessary ;  and,  before  he  could  have  pro- 
tested against  such  rough  treatment,  he  found 
himself  dragged  out  upon  the  ground  before  the 
moutli  of  the  cave,  with  "  his  shirt  stripped  over 
his  head,  and  his  skin  severely  lacerated."  They 
had  heard  the  growl  of  the  wolf  outside,  and 
feared  that  he  was  involved  in  a  struggle  with 
her  for  life  or  death.  Besides,  it  was  known  that 
he  had  carried  no  weapons  into  the  cave  with 
him,  and  they  were  more  solicitous  on  that 
account. 

This  time,  however,  he  loaded  his  gun,  took 
more  torches,  and  went  down  better  prepared  for 
the  encounter.    He  knew  his  way  along  of  course 


EARLY   LIFE. 


2d 


better  than  before ;  but  he  was  now  burdened 
with  his  niusket.  When  he  came  in  siglit  of  the 
wolf  again,  she  was  in  the  same  place  and  posi- 
tion, but  aj)peared  a  great  deal  more  dissatislied 
with  his  company.  The  account  of  his  early- 
biographer  and  personal  friend  states  that  she 
wore  an  aspect  of  great  fierceness :  •'  howling, 
rolling  her  eyes,  snapping  her  teeth,  and  droj)ping 
her  head  between  her  legs.  She  was  evidently  in 
the  attitude,  and  on  the  point  of  springing  at  her 
assailant.  At  that  critical  moment  he  levelled 
his  piece,  aiming  directly  at  her  head,  and  fired. 
Stunned  with  the  shock,  and  suffocated  with  the 
smoke  of  tiie  powder,  he  Immediately  found 
himself  drawn  out  of  the  cave."  But  this  time 
his  friends  took  a  little  more  care  not  to  striji  his 
shirt  over  his  shoulders,  nor  to  tear  his  skin 
against  the  jagged  edges  of  th(!  rock. 

He  allowed  a  few  moments  for  the  smoke  to 
escape  from  the  chambers  of  the  cavern,  and  then 
went  in  again  to  secure  his  prize.  On  examina- 
tion he  found  his  old  enemy  lying  dead  on  the 
floor  of  the  cave  at  its  further  extremity,  in  a 
pool  of  blood.  He  had  taken  aim  to  some  pur- 
pose.    In  order  to  satisfy  Irmself  that  she  was 


26 


GEN.  ISRAEL   PUTNAM. 


I 


really  (load,  he  applied  his  toreh  to  her  nose;  she 
made;  no  si<(n.s  of  life.  Accordingly,  he  seized 
her  by  her  cars,  gave  the  rope  around  his  leg  an 
exulting  kick,  and  out  he  went,  with  his  precious 
prize  dragging  after  him,  into  the  midst  of  the 
crowd  at  the  mouth  of  the  cavern,  who  showered 
their  praises  and  congratulations  uj)on  him  with- 
out stint.  They  sent  up  a  shout  of  delight  that 
filled  the  wintry  woods  with  its  echoes.  Their 
arch  enemy  at  length  lay  stretched  out  stark  and 
stiff  at  their  feet. 

From  that  hour,  Israel  Putnam  was  a  hero  in 
the  eyes  and  mouth  of  everybody.  He  came 
very  soon  to  be  known  far  and  wide  as  the  slayer 
of  the  old  she-wolf  that  had  made  such  havoc 
with  the  farmers'  folds,  and  people  loved  to  re- 
peat a  story  that  had  such  decided  elements  of 
romance  and  daring  in  it;  for  it  excited  them 
quite  as  much  in  the  telling  as  it  did  others  in 
the  hearing.  The  story  grew,  too,  as  it  travelled, 
and  Putnam's  fame  of  course  grew  along  with  it. 
He  was  known  among  the  officers  of  the  army, 
with  whom  he  fought  during  the  Seven  Years' 
War,  as  "  the  Old  Wolf ; "  and  his  fame  reached 
England  througn  the  aid  of  the  puohc  journals, 


EARLY   TIFE. 


27 


wliirh  are  gnnorally  not  behind    in   chronicling 
8uch  a  truly  hold  and  daring  adventure. 

The  dozen  years  that  Putnam  foUowed  the 
peaceful  pursuits  of  a  fanner,  between  this 
notable  event  and  the  breaking  out  of  the  French 
war,  he  industriously  made  the  most  of.  In  that 
time,  by  his  thrifty  management,  he  laid  the 
foundation  of  a  permanent  and  abundant  fortune, 
for  those  days  of  simplicity,  and  provided  for 
those  wants,  which  otherwise  must  have  been  un- 
provided for  entirely,  appertaining  to  advanced 
age  and  a  life  generously  spent  in  behalf  ot  the 
liberties  of  his  country.  When  he  retired  from 
public  service  altogether,  it  was  a  comfortable 
reflection  for  him  that  he  had  a  good  home  to 
which  to  withdraw  his  weary  self,  where  he  might 
pass  his  latest  years  unreached  by  the  gripe  of 
poverty  and  want,  and  secure  in  the  friendship 
and  afiection  of  the  happy  family  group  that 
there  budded  and  blossomed  like  beautiful  plants 
around  him. 


I''  I 


CHAPTER    II. 


m 


THE   FRENCH   WAR. 


n! 


THE  struggle  between  the  English  and  the 
French  for  the  mastery  of  this  continent, de- 
serves more  than  the  mere  allusion  to  it  as 
an  historical  fact,  which  is  all  we  are  able  in  this 
place  to  give.  The  Indians  that  swarmed  in  the 
northern  forests,  and  about  the  lakes  and  streams, 
were,  the  greater  part  of  them,  enlisted  on  the 
side  of  the  French,  and  showed  themselves  ready 
to  perform  any  of  those  barbariti(^s  that  were 
Asked  of  them  in  the  wild  excitement  of  the 
times.  These  Indians  were  the  worst  foes  that 
ever  white  men  were  forced  to  meet.  They  were 
Btealthy  and  secret ;  they  skulked  and  hid  in 
every  nook  and  corner ;  they  started  out  unex- 
pectedly from  every  tree  in  the  forest.  In  their 
dispositions  they  were  vindictive  and  remorseless ; 
they  would  light  for  pay  rather  than  from  friend- 


f 


THE  FRENCH   WAR. 


29 


ind  thft 

ient,de- 

to  it  as 

in  thivS 

1  in  the 

treams, 

on  till, 

ready 

t  were 

of  the 

s  that 

J  were 

lid   in 

unex- 

their 

('less; 

riend- 


ship,  and  hence  employed  both  the  tomahawk 
and  the  sealping-Unife  without  either  measure  or 
mercy.  Such  an  enemy  was  a  thousand  times 
more  dangerous  to  encounter  than  an  open 
enemy;  because  the  English  were  at  no  time 
certain  that  he  would  not  come  upon  them  wlien 
they  were  least  expecting  it. 

It  required  unusually  prudent,  sagacious,  and 
brave  men  to  officer  a  force  that  should  be  sent 
out  to  meet  an  enemy,  too,  with  such  an  ally. 
Hence,  the  colonial  governments  were  frequently 
at  a  loss  how  to  act,  so  as  not  to  compromise 
the  safety  of  the  people  for  whom  they  were 
authorized  to  act. 

This  so-called  French  War  began  in  the  year 
17o5,  with  three  separate  military  expeditions  : 
one  of  General  Shirley  against  Fort  Niagara;  one 
of  General  Braddock,  against  Fort  Duquesne  ; 
and  a  third  of  Sir  William  Johnson  against 
Baron  Dieskau,  at  Fort  Edward,  situated  on  Lake 
George.  This  last  had  a  successful  termination; 
the  others  were  fruitless  and  unfortunate.  Israel 
Putnam  received  an  appointment  to  the  captaincy 
of  a  company  of  provinciJ  soldiers,  volunteers  of 
Connecticut,  and  this  company  composed  a  part 


«.» 


1  i 


•  I 


I    ^ 


30 


QEN.  ISIIAKL   PUTNAM. 


of  llio  rogimont  iiiidc'r  coininaiul  of  Ornoral 
Lyimin.  Kv(>ryl)()(ly  knew  Put  nam  for  a  A^arlcss 
and  Irusiy  man;  and  altliongli  it  is  j)ositiv(;  that 
he  had  liad  no  previous  military  experience,  yet 
his  winninu^  frankness  and  hearty  honesty  soon 
attracted  It)  liis  standard  a  crowd  of  tiie  finest 
young  m<Mi  tlu*  wliole  cok)ny  aHorth'd.  It  was  a 
deserved  comj)Hment  to  such  a  man,  and  he 
would  ('(Ttainly  have  been  the  last  one  to  betray 
the  liigli  conlidenee  thus  reposed  in  him. 

The  expedition,  of  wliich  liis  company  and 
regiuicnt  formed  a  part,  had  for  its  oliject  the 
reduction  of  Crown  Point,  a  fortified  place  on 
Lake  Champhiin.  Massachusetts  C-olony  started 
the  project,  and  she,  together  with  Connecticut 
and  New  York,  was  determined  to  carry  it  out, 
if  possibl;^,  to  success.  The  command  of  the 
entire  e>  pedition  was  given  to  (general  William 
Johnson,  one  of  the  leading  men  in  the  New 
York  Colony,  and  the  troops  were  to  collect  at 
Albany  as  a  central  depflt.  It  was  late  in  June 
when  they  assembled.  Early  in  August  they 
began  to  move  forward,  and  reached  the  point 
from  which  all  the  necessary  accompaniments  of 
warlike  operations  were  to  be  transported  across 


THE  FRENCH   WAR. 


81 


the  land  to  Lake  (Jcorgo.  Gen.  Lyman  had 
already  beguu  to  erect  a  fortitication  at  this 
point,  which  went  l)y  the  name  of  Fort  Edward. 

Later  in  August,  the;  main  body  of  the  army 
toolv  up  its  march,  and  pressed  on  till  it  reacht^d 
the  southern  point  of  Lake  George.  It  was 
learned  from  Indian  scouts  that  a  large  body  of 
French  and  Indians  were  stationed  at  Ticonde- 
roga,  since  become  an  immortal  name,  which  is 
tlie  point  at  which  Lake  George  empties,  with  its 
thundering  sound,  into  Lake  Champlain.  They 
had  not  yet  thrown  r.p  any  works  tluire,  and 
Johnson  therefore  felt  more  desirous  to  proceed 
as  soon  as  possible,  with  a  part  of  his  army,  and 
seize  the  place  before  they  could  recover  suffi- 
ciently from  their  astonishment  at  his  appear- 
ance, to  make  a  proper  defence. 

But  Baron  Dieskau,  the  French  commander, 
had,  in  the  meantime,  become  apprised  of  the 
position  and  projects  of  the  provincial  forces  at 
Fort  Edward,  and  hastened  to  attack  them  before 
their  works  were  all  completed.  If  he  could  suc- 
ceed in  this  plan,  it  was  then  his  determination  to 
move  down  upon  Albany,  and  the  other  towns 
within  reach,  and  lay  them  waste  with  all  pos- 


3.2 


GEN.  ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


sible  celerity.  Accordingly,  he  took  two  thou- 
sand men  with  liim  from  Crown  Point,  and,  land- 
ing at  South  Bay,  started  across  the  land  for 
Fort  Edward.  He  even  kept  the  design  of  this 
movement  a  secret  until  he  had  come  within  a 
couple  of  miles  of  the  provincial  forces.  When 
he  at  length  made  his  plans  known,  the  Indians 
murmured,  declaring  they  never  would  fight 
against  the  cannon  and  musketry  of  the  English. 
This  obliged  him,  therefore,  to  change  his  pur- 
pose, and  he  pushed  on  towards  the  north,  to  sur- 
prise the  English  at  the  southern  point  of  Lake 
George.  General  Johnson  was  in  command 
there,  as  already  stated.  His  scouts  came  into 
camp  and  informed  him  of  the  approach  of 
Dieskau,  with  his  Canadian  and  Indian  allies. 

It  was  at  once  determined  to  send  forward  a 
detachment  to  meet  them,  and  offer  them  battle. 
Col.  Williams  commanded  the  entire  body,  which 
consisted  of  a  t'lousand  provincials  and  about 
two  hundred  friendly  Indians.  They  came  upon 
the  French  some  four  miles  out  from  the  camp, 
and  found  the  latter  all  skilfully  prepared  to  meet 
them.  .  Dieskau  had  arranged  the  French  troops 
in  the  centre,  while  the  Canadians   and  Indians 


THE   FRENCH   WAR. 


33 


were  stationed  along  in  the  woods  on  either 
wing,  so  as  to  surround  the  English  forces  as 
soon  as  they  had  advanced  far  enough  into  this 
well-set  trap.  Had  not  the  engagement  begun 
as  soon  as  it  did,  the  plan  of  the  French  Baron 
would  unquestionably  have  worked  well ;  but,  as 
it  was,  it  did  not  operate  quite  so  exactly  to  his 
mind.  The  provincials  fought  like  the  brave 
men  they  were,  and  were  forced  at  last  to  fall 
back.  Col.  Williams  was  slain  in  the  battle,  and 
so  was  Hendricks,  the  famous  Mohawk  Indian 
chief,  who  had  been  a  firm  friend  to  the  English 
and  provincials. 

The  vanquished  forces  retreated  till  they 
reached  the  main  body,  under  General  Johnson. 
This  engagement  had  taken  place  before  noon. 
It  was  just  about  noon,  then,  when  the  French 
forces  came  up  to  renew  the  battle,  flushed  and 
eager  with  their  recent  victory.  On  each  side  of 
the  American  position,  which  was  upon  the  bank 
of  Lake  George,  lay  a  swamp,  densely  covered 
with  trees.  Gen.  Johnson  had  mounted  a  few 
pieces  of  cannon,  which  he  had  fortunately  re- 
ceived from  Fort  Edward,  and  a  breastwork  was 
hastily  constructed   by  felling  trees.     On   came 


84 


GEN.  ISRAEL   PUTNAM. 


the  French  in  regular  order,  expecting  only  a 
Becond  vic^tory.  After  pausing  for  a  brief 
moment  at  a  distance  from  the  breastworks,  they 
fell  upon  the  centre  with  great  spirit,  while  the 
Canadians  and  Indians  attacked  the  two  flanks 
in  the  hope  of  turning  them.  The  assault  upon 
the  centre  did  not  prove  as  destructive  to  the 
provincial  forces  as  was  calculated ;  on  the  con- 
trary, the  latter  took  fresh  cournge  on  seeing  how 
little  damage  the  French  were  able  to  do  them. 
As  soon  as  they  began  to  play  their  cannon  upon 
the  advancing  enemy  with  such  terrible  effect,  the 
allied  Indians  and  Canadians  took  to  their  heels 
in  a  paroxysm  of  fear,  being  quite  unused  to  so 
destructive  an  engine  of  warfare.  Baron  Dies- 
kau  in  consequence  was  obliged  to  retreat  in 
great  haste  and  confusion,  and  his  force  was 
hotly  pursued  by  a  portion  of  the  provincial 
army.  The  Baron  himself  was  wounded,  and 
found  leaning  against  a  stump,  all  alone.  An 
American  seeing  him  feeling  for  his  watch,  with 
which  he  probably  hoped  to  bribe  his  pursuers, 
supposed  he  was  searching  for  his  pistol;  upon 
whicli  he  inflicted  upon  him  a  wound  in  the  hip 
with  a  musket  ball,  which  finally  proved  mortal 


K!-W'i 


THE   FRENCH    WAR. 


80 


He  was  carried  a  prisoner  into  tho  camp  in  a 
blanket,  and  treated  tenderly.  Afterwards  he 
was  taken  to  Albany,  then  to  New  York,  and 
finally  to  England. 

Being  jKirsued  for  some  four  miles,  th(^  French 
at  length  halted  to  refresh  themselves  on  the 
very  ground  where  the  battle  of  the  morning  had 
been  fought.  How  different  were  their  feelings 
then,  from  their  feelings  of  a  few  brief  hours 
before  !  Meantime  Gen.  Lyman  had  despatched  a 
force  up  from  Fort  Edward  to  the  assistance  of 
Gen.  Johnson,  and  the  detachment  he  had  sent 
forward  came  upon  them  while  they  were  thus 
refreshing  themselves  on  the  morning's  battle- 
field. A  second  time  they  were  routed,  and,  on 
this  occasion,  most  thoroughly.  Many  prisoners 
were  taken  and  carried  into  camp.  Thus  opened 
the  English  successes  on  the  continent  against  the 
French  forces,  with  this  brilliant  victory  of  Lake 
George.  This  was  the  battle  in  which  Joseph 
Brant,  the  famous  Mohawk  Indian,  then  but 
thirteen  years  old,  first  learned  the  art  of  war  from 
taking  an  active  part  in  it. 

Gen.  Johnson  at  once  proceeded  to  erect  a  fort 
where  he  was  encamped,  whicti  he  named  Fort 


80 


GEN.  ISRAEL   PUTNAM. 


William  Henry.  Israel  Putnam  not  long  after- 
wards reached  the  camp  at  Lake  George,  where, 
during  the  remainder  of  the  season,  his  active 
temperauKMit  and  love  of  perilous  performances 
p(^culiarly  fitted  him  for  the  duties  which  were 
then  assigned  him.  As  a  ranger,  volunteering 
his  services  on  occasions  of  great  danger,  and 
when  much  caution  was  necessary,  no  man  in 
the  provincial  army  could,  at  that  day,  surpass 
or  equal  him.  Ic  fell  to  him,  in  this  capacity, 
to  find  out  where  the  enemy  were,  what  was  their 
strength,  to  be  continually  alarming  their  pickets, 
to  devise  ways  of  harassing  and  surprising  them, 
to  act  as  a  partisan  scout  in  fetching  information 
from  the  hostile  parties,  and  in  performing  all 
those  other  active  labors  that  are  of  the  most  ef- 
fective service  to  the  success  of  a  military  cam- 
paign on  an  uninhabited  frontier. 

Once,  during  that  season,  he  set  out  with  Cap- 
tain Rogers  and  a  small  party  to  reconnoitre  the 
delences  at  Crown  Point.  The  forest  in  the 
vicmity  was  alive '  dth  Indians,  and  it  was  at  the 
same  time  impossible  for  the  whole  party  to  ap- 
proach within  the  desirable  distance  of  the  fort 
Thsy  concealed  the  men,  therefore,  in  the  woods 


!        V. 


THE   FRENCH   "WAR. 


37 


not  far  off,  and  went  by  themselves  to  reconnoitre. 
Creeping  along  in  the  dark,  they  soon  came  near 
to  the  fort,  where  they  remained  secreted  all 
through  the  night,  but  without  obtaining  as 
much  knowledge  as  they  went  aft(!r.  Towards 
morning  they  were  more  successful ;  and,  while 
returning  by  different  ways  to  the  place  where 
their  party  lay  concealed,  a  French  guard  came 
suddenly  upon  Capt.  Rogers,  and  made  an  effort 
to  stab  him,  while  he  also  gave  the  alarm.  They 
clinched  and  struggled.  Meantime  the  guard 
answered  to  the  alarm.  Putnam  learned  the 
cause  of  the  trouble,  and  in  an  instant  flew  to  his 
companion's  rescue.  With  a  single  well-directed 
blow  from  the  butt  of  his  musket  upon  the  head 
of  the  Frenchman,  he  laid  him  out  upon  the 
ground,  stark  and  dead.  Immediately  the  two 
bold  rangers  hastened  to  rejoin  their  little  party, 
with  whom  they  made  the  best  of  their  way  out 
of  the  reach  of  their  enemies. 

It  was  now  late  in  the  season,  it  being  in  the 
month  of  October.  Of  course  it  was  impracti- 
cable to  attempt  anything  more  of  a  hostile 
nature  during  that  year,  especially  as  Crown 
Point  was  ascertained  to  be  too  strongly  fortified 


38 


Q£N.  ISKAEL  PUTNAM. 


to  be  assailed  at  present.  The  greater  part  of 
the  army  was  therefore  discharged,  leaving  but 
six  hundred  men  as  a  force  with  which  to  gar- 
rison both  Fort  Edward  and  Fort  William 
Henry.  During  the  same  season,  too,  the 
French  descended  the  lake  and  took  military 
possession  of  Ticotideroga,  which  tht;y  proceeded 
to  fortify.  Putnam's  company  were  disbanded 
with  the  other  colonial  regiments,  and  he  re- 
turned home  to  pass  the  winter  in  the  quiet 
retirement  of  his  farm  in  Connecticut. 

The  next  year's  campaign  had  the  same  objects 
in  view  with  that  of  the  last.  Owing,  however, 
to  the  victories  that  had  been  achieved  by  the 
French  commander,  Montcalm,  at  Fort  Os- 
wego and  Fort  George,  the  plans  of  the  cam- 
paign were  altogether  broken  in  upon.  An  ex- 
pedition was  set  on  foot  against  Crown  Point, 
which  was  to  be  conducted  by  Gen.  Winslow, 
with  provincial  troops  alone ;  but  the  unexpected 
success  of  Montcalm  had  the  eftect  to  throw  the 
English  altogether  on  the  defensive.  Putnam 
was  still  at  the  head  of  a  company,  serving  under 
his  former  commander.  Abercrombie  commanded 
the   entire  forces  until  past  the   middle   of  the 


THE   FRENCH   WAR. 


39 


pummer;  in  August  Ik;  was  displaced  by  Lord 
Loudon.  The  Knglish  gtMieraU;  were  in  con- 
stant expectation  of  being  attacked  by  the 
Friiiieh,  and  therefore  assumed  an  attitude 
almost  exelusively  defensive. 

Putnam,  in  this  campaign,  acted  the  bold  part 
of  a  ranger.  This  duty  required  a  person  of 
peculiar  qualifications,  and  such  had  he  in  per- 
fection. He  was  daring,  and  even  reckless,  and, 
at  the  same  time,  he  knew  how  to  be  cautious 
and  wary  as  an  Indian.  His  active  and  ardent 
temperament  fitted  him  above  most  other  men 
for  so  responsible  and  arduous  a  service.  Two 
things  were  his  —  courage  and  caution.  He 
could  be  bold,  and  he  also  knew  how  to  keep 
silence.  United  with  his  other  rare  qualities  was 
an  instinctive  sagacity,  which  piloted  himself  and 
his  little  party  many  a  time  safely  through 
dangers  with  which  other  men,  perhaps  fully  as 
brave,  would  have  been  overwhelmed.  Indeed, 
considering  the  history  of  Israel  Putnam's  mili- 
tary exploits  from  first  to  last,  it  must  be  said  of 
him,  in  summing  up  the  whole,  that  he  excelled 
chiefly  as  a  partisan.  No  man  in  the  army  was 
more  impetuous  yet  more  cool,  more  daring  and 


i  I" 


«) 


GEN.  ISRAEL   PUTNAM. 


in 


reckless  and  still  more  self-controlled,  than  ho. 
And  it  was  this  which  made  his  services  so  bril- 
liant and  so  valuable  duririi''  tlu^  protracted 
terms  of  both  the  French  and  Indian,  and  tho 
Revolutionary  War. 

Once,  during  this  campaign  of  17/5G,  he  was 
directed  to  take  some  observations,  and  report 
concerning  the  camp  of  the  enemy  at  the 
"  Ovens."  This  was  but  a  little  way  from  Ti- 
conderoga.  Taking  along  with  him  Lieut.  Dur- 
kee,  he  started  oft'  on  his  perilous  but  most  wel- 
come errand.  Nothing  suited  him  better  than 
excitement  and  danger.  The  business  was  to  be 
performed  in  the  night,  and  required  therefore  all 
the  more  caution.  The  French  army,  when  th(^y 
lay  down  at  night  to  sleep  in  the  forest,  kindled 
their  fires  in  the  centre  of  the  camp  and  slept  on 
the  outside  of  the  circle,  quite  within  the  protec- 
tion aflbrded  by  the  darkness.  The  custom  of 
the  English  and  provincial  army  was  just  the 
contrary.  Putnam  and  his  friend  did  not  happen 
to  be  aware  of  this  fact.  Hence,  they  made  their 
\vay  up  thoughtlessly  toward  the  fires  of  the 
French,  on  their  hands  and  knees  of  course,  and 
had  gone  some  distance  within  the  enemy's  lines 


THE    FKENCII    WAR. 


41 


before  thoy  becamo  aware  of  their  desperate  situ- 
ation. Tliey  were  discovered  by  the  sentinels, 
who  at  onee  fired  upon  them.  I  lis  friend  was 
wounded  in  the  thif^h,  but  Putnam  was  unlmrt. 
The  latter  \vhe«'h'd  and  rushed  into  the  darkn(!ss 
again ;  but  suddenly  he  found  himself  lying  all 
in  a  heap  at  the  l)ottom  of  a  elay  pit.  Hardly 
had  he  eoine  to  himself  sutliciently  to  understand 
where  he  was,  wIkui  in  plunged  another  person 
after  him.  Putnam  raised  the  butt  of  his  musket 
to  break  his  head,  when  a  voice  asked  him  if  he 
was  hurt.  He  recognized  the  voice  as  that  of  his 
friend,  Lieut.  Durkee.  In  the  gi-eatest  liast(5  — 
quite  as  great,  if  possible,  as  they  had  found  their 
way  into  the  pit  —  they  both  scrambled  out,  and 
made  oil'  into  the  forest  in  the  midst  of  a  rain  of 
aimless  bullets  from  the  enemy.  They  lay  under 
a  large  log  during  the  rest  of  the  night,  and  found 
the  light  of  the  silent  stars  much  more  agreeable 
company  than  they  probably  would  have  found  that 
of  the  hostile  camp-fires.  It  is  related  that  when 
Putnam  unslung  his  canteen,  to  divide  the  rum  it 
held  with  his  w^oundcd  and  fainting  comrade,  he 
found  to  his  surprise  that  a  stray  bullet  from  the 

4* 


42 


GEN.    ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


sentinel  had   pierced,  and  entirely  emptied  it  of 
its  contents. 

The  provincial  camp  was  rruch  troubled  by  the 
prowling  incursions  of  the  Indians,  who  used  to 
come  about  in  the  stillness  of  the  night  and  carry 
off  the  sentinels,  no  one  could  tell  how  or  whither. 
It  was  one  of  the  greatest  mysteries  that  excited 
their  curiosity,  or  their  superstitious  fears.  One 
of  the  outposts  had  suffered  more  than  any  of  the 
others.  At  last  it  became  so  hazardous  to  serve 
as  guard, —  no  soul  of  those  who  were  missing 
ever  coming  back,  or  sending  back  any  tidings  of 
his  fate,  —  that  not  a  man  could  be  found  who 
was  wilhng  to  put  his  life  in  peril  in  occupying 
it.  All  were  appealed  to,  but  in  vain.  They 
were  not  ready  to  volunteer  in  a  service  where 
they  felt  certain  there  was  not  even  a  chance  in 
their  h  vor.  Some  of  the  best  and  bravest  men 
had  volunteered  on  that  post,  and  never  been 
heard  of  again. 

It  had  come  to  such  a  pass  at  length,  that  the 
commanders  were  about  to  jirocecd  to  draw  men 
by  lot  for  the  place,  when  Putnam  stepped  forth 
with  his  usual  promptitude,  eager  to  brave  the 
danger,  and  pluck  out  the  heart  of  the  mystery. 


THE   FRENCH  WAR. 


43 


He  nerd  not.  have  done  this,  for,  as  an  officer,  he 
would  not  have  been  liable  to  be  drawn  with  the 
rest;  but  he  suffered  that  consideration  to  make 
no  dillerence.  He  offered  to  garrison  the  post 
for  that  night  himself,  and  ais  offer  was  accepted. 
The  directions  were,  at  hearing  the  least  noise, 
he  was  to  ask,  "  Who  goes  there  ?  "  three  times  ; 
and,  if  no  answer  was  returned,  then  to  fire  im- 
mediately. With  these  instructions  fresh  in  his 
mind,  he  went  out  and  took  his  station.  In  the 
first  place,  he  made  a  thorough  and  most  minute 
examination  of  every  object  within  sight  and 
reach.  He  laid  down  in  his  mind  exactly  how 
trees,  rocks,  bushes,  and  stumps  stood  relatively 
to  each  other,  and  daguerreotyped  their  appear- 
ance in  his  memory.  Then,  seeing  that  his  fire- 
arm was  in  perfect  order,  he  waited  and  watched 
for  the  terrible  mystery. 

There  was  a  moon  in  the  sky  that  night,  by 
whose  pale  light  e  en  those  objects  with  which 
he  had  already  become  familiar,  looked  weird  and 
spectral.  For  several  hours  nothing  occurred 
that  attracted  his  attention.  Midnight  wore  on, 
but  no  manifestations  of  any  lurking  danger 
«vt.     By  and  by,  however,  he  thought  he  heard  a 


M 


44 


GEN.  ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


slight  noise  in  the  wild  grass.  He  gave  it  all  hia 
attention.  Then,  what  sounded  like  a  wild 
animal,  came  straying  along,  gradually  nearlng 
his  position.  Finally  the  animal  seemed  to  take 
the  appearance  and  nature  of  a  wild  hog  ;  and,  to 
carry  out  the  resemblance,  it  busied  itself  with 
cracking  the  acorns  it  grubbed  up  underneath  the 
trees.  Putnam  saw  it  all,  and  heard  it  all.  His 
thought  was  always  quick,  and  rarely  did  it  lead 
him  far  astray.  Even  a  hog  should  not  be  per- 
mitted to  pass  the  lines,  he  declared  to  himself, 
unless  he  gave  the  countersign.  Accordingly,  he 
raised  his  musket  to  his  shoulder,  and  called  out, 
"  Who  goes  there  ?  "  three  times,  and  fired.  The 
hog  gave  a  deep  groan,  straightened  out  in  the 
agonies  of  death,  and  instantly  lay  a  lifeless  heap 
on  the  ground.  On  going  up  to  examine  it,  he 
discovered  that  he  had  only  shot  a  treacherous 
and  wily  Indian,  who  had  disguised  himself  in  a 
bear-skin,  and  thus  picked  off  the  unsuspecting 
sentinels  from  this  dangerous  post  night  after 
night.  There  was  no  longer  any  fear  among  the 
soldiers  of  standing  sentry  on  that  post.  The 
heart  of  the  mystery  had  been  laid  open,  and  this 
was  what  there  was  iii  it. 


THE   FRENCH   WAR. 


45 


Putnam  was  likewise  the  leader  and  master- 
Bpirit  of  another  excursion  against  the  enemy  that 
season,   which    added    much   to   the   increasing 
lustre  of  his  fame.     It  appears  that  some  five  or 
six  hundred  of  the  French  had  made  a  descent 
on  the  stores  and  baggage  of  the  English  army, 
at  a  place  about  half  way  between  Fort  Edward 
and  Fort  William  Henry,  and  carried  off  a  large 
quantity  of  provisions   as  booty.      The    soldiers 
who  were  escorting  the  train  were  not  numerous 
enough  to  protect  it  against  the  vastly  greater 
force  of  the  assailants,  and  were  obliged  to  yield 
it   up    altogether.      Putnam,   was    ordered,   with 
about  a  hundred   men    in   boats,  carrying   with 
them   two  small  pieces  of  camioii,  besides  their 
ordinary  arms,  to  head  them  off  on  their  return 
down  Wood  Creek  into  Lake  Champlain.     They 
all  started  off  in  high  spirits,  and  sailed  down  Lake 
George  in  their  batteaux,  with  the  resolution  to 
punish  the  insolence  of  tlie  enemy  wherever  they 
might  fall  in  with  him. 

Tliey  landed  at  a  certain  point  far  enough 
down  the  lake,  and  there  disembarked,  leaving 
their  boats  under  a  sufficient  guard,  and  marched 
rapidly  across  to  the  narrows  of  Lake  Champlain, 


I 

f 


46 


GEN.  ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


where  they  took  their  stand  and  waited  for  the 
thieving  rascals  to  come  up.  The  place  in  which 
Putnam  concealed  the  men  was  admirably 
selected,  and  so  hidden  by  the  trees  and  bushes 
that  no  one  sailing  down  the  lake  would  look  for 
uanger  from  such  a  quarter.  The  body  of  the 
water  at  that  point,  also,  was  not  so  wide  but  his 
guns  could  sweep  it  for  the  whole  distance.  As 
the  French  came  sailing  by,  the  party  in  ambush 
suddenly  poured  in  upon  them  a  terrible  volley 
of  shot,  which  performed  most  remarkable  execu- 
tion. The  rowers  were  killed,  the  boats  were 
sunk,  and  they  were  so  huddled  together  in  the 
confusion  that  they  afforded  a  surer  mark  for  the 
fire  of  the  provincials.  Only  a  few  of  thf  boats 
managed  to  escape,  and  these  with  the  aid  of 
tne  wind  that  blew  up  the  lake  very  strongly. 
By  this  means  the  encampme  it  at  Ticonderoga 
were  advised  of  the  mortifying  mishap  to  the  ex- 
pedition, and  hastened  to  wreak  their  vengeance 
upon  its  authors  before  they  could  return  to  head- 
quarters. 

It  was  in  the  expectation  of  something  like  this 
that  the  rangers  betook  themselves  back  to  their 
boa^s  with  all  possible  speed,  knowing  that  their 


THE  FRENCH   WAR. 


4T 


condition  was  a  desperate,  if  not  an  utterly  hope- 
less one,  should  they  be  intercepted  before  they 
reached  the  water.  They  had  some  twenty 
miles  to  make,  in  order  to  do  this ;  but  they  were 
successful.  The  French  hurried  after  them  by 
way  of  the  lake  above,  and,  of  course,  must  have 
made  much  headway  even  before  the  rangers 
embarked  again,  which  was  at  night.  The  very 
next  day  they  saw  their  enemy  on  shore  in  large 
numbers.  They  must  have  silently  passed  them 
somewhere  daring  the  night.  It  of  course  wa« 
not  long  before  the  French  spied  them  coming, 
and  took  to  their  boats  with  great  speed,  deter- 
mined to  fight  them  in  line  on  the  lake.  The 
French  appeared  extremely  exultant,  as  if  the 
battle  had  been  fought  and  the  victory  had  been 
already  won.  Up  they  sailed  in  regular  array, 
supposing  that  the  provincials,  who  could  not 
have  numbered  more  than  one  to  their  three, 
would  be  so  stricken  with  terror  at  their  ap- 
proach that  they  would  decliiie  fighting  alto- 
gether. Not  until  they  came  within  shot  of 
them,  did  the  small  party  of  brave  fellows  under 
Putnam  open  fire  ;  and  then  they  gave  them,  all 
at  once,  the  full  contents  both  of  their  cannon 


7 


'1,11 


N  i 


!.! 


It 


48 


GEN.   ISRAEL  I'UTXAM. 


and  their  muskets.  This  reception  dismayed 
them.  They  had  counted  on  nothing  of  the 
kind.  They  supposed  they  had  been  sailing  up 
to  an  easy,  and  perhaps  a  bloodless,  victory. 
Continuing  thus  to  pour  in  volley  after  volley, 
and  not  allowing  the  enemy  to  recover  them- 
selves sufficiently  to  rally  for  one  strong  effort, 
the  provincials  very  soon  succeeded  in  scattering 
the  flotilla  of  French  boats,  and  driving  them  off 
the  field  of  battle. 

The  provincials  were  the  victors.  The  French 
lost  a  great  number  of  their  men,  and  the 
xndians  fell  into  the  lake  in  scores.  What  is 
very  strange,  there  was  but  one  man  out  of  the 
provincial  force  killed  in  this  sharp  engagement, 
and  but  two  were  wounded,  and  they  only 
slightly,  while  the  loss  of  the  French,  including 
their  previous  loss  on  Lake  Champlain,  on  their 
return  from  the  foraging  excursion,  amounted  to 
hardly  less  than  five  hundred.  They  learned  a 
pretty  dear  lesson  by  it  all;  and,  certainly,  if 
nothing  else  were  to  be  said  about  it,  they  paid  at 
a  costly  rate  for  the  provisions  they  were  guilty 
of  stealing  from  the  escort  at  Half  Way  Brook. 


M 


I  :i 


CHAPTER     III. 


H 


CONTINUATION   OF   THE   FRENCH   WAR. 

AD  Israel  Putnam  kept  a  record  of  his 
varied  and  most  exciting  experience  from 
tiie  time  his  life  began  to  be  of  public 
interest,  it  would  have  secured  an  attentive  peru- 
sal to  the  latest  generations.  But  he  was  doing 
greater  things  than  he  knew,  Hke  many  others 
who  are  noble  and  heroic  themselves  without 
being  aware  of  it.  The  next  year,  1757,  he 
received  a  major's  commission  from  the  Connec- 
ticut Legislature;  showing  in  what  deservedly 
high  esteem  he  was  held  by  those  with  whom  the 
public  interests  were  left  to  be  administered. 

Thus  far,  it  certainly  could  not  be  denied  that 
the  English   arms  had  met   with   but  indifferent 
success  in  the  war  then  waging  with  the  French. 
This  was  in  no  sense  to  be  charged  to  the  want  of 
eUicieiicy  or  courage  on  the  part  of  the  colonists, 


fl 


i!! 


i  1  ■ 


60 


GEN.    ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


in  cooperating  with  them  in  their  plans ;  the  fault 
lay  elsewhere.  The  olTicers  who  were  appointed 
to  direct  the  operations  of  the  army  were  not  the 
men  they  should  have  been  ;  they  knew  little  or 
nothing  of  the  country,  being  sent  over  from 
England  solely  for  the  purpose  of  supervising  what 
they  knew  little  about.  They  could  not  be  ex- 
pected, either,  to  feel  that  close  sympathy  with 
the  condition  and  prospects  of  the  colonists  which 
was  so  essential  to  the  success  of  their  warlike 
plans  ;  and,  by  their  very  rank  and  station,  they 
were  alien  to  the  habits,  and  strangers  to  the 
feelings  that  made  up  the  sturdy  colonial  charac- 
ter. 

Lord  Loudon  was  an  inefficient  and  improper 
officer  to  set  at  the  he'id  of  an  army  anywhere. 
It  is  not  pretended  that  he  possessed  any  degree 
of  courage,  much  less  that  he  was  gifted  with  that 
military  genius  which  is  certainly  to  be  looked 
for  in  a  commander  who  undertakes  the  respon- 
sibilities of  such  extended  campaigns.  Mont- 
calm, the  French  General,  had  put  him  to  his 
wits'  end  in  achieving  such  few,  but  very  signifi- 
cant successes  as  he  had  at  Oswego,  destroying 
and   dismantling   the   fort   at   that    place ;    and 


ii 


CONTINUATION   OF  THE   FRENCH   WAR. 


51 


ex- 


spon- 

Moiit- 

o  his 

gnifi- 

oying 

and 


London  therefore  resolved  to  stand  only  on  the 
defensive.  Tliis  was  the  whole  secret  of  his  no- 
policy  of  the  summer  previous,  after  his  appoint- 
ment by  the  ministry  at  home  to  supersede  Gene- 
ral Abercrombie.  During  the  winter,  however,  he 
had  made  liberal  drafts  on  the  several  Legis- 
latures of  the  colonies,  to  which  they  responded 
with  great  promj^ness.  Early  in  the  year  1757, 
too,  fresh  and  abundant  forces  arrived  from 
England  ;  so  that  the  belief  was  general  that  the 
campaign  of  this  year  was  to  be  carried  forward 
with  signal  energy  and  enthusiasm. 

Had  the  matter  lain  with  the  colonies,  the 
plans  of  the  previous  campaigns  would  V/Crtainly 
have  been  pushed  on  to  completion  and  success. 
And  the  fortress  from  which  the  various  assaults 
against  the  peace  of  the  provincialists  were  fitted 
out,  would  have  been  assailed  in  turn  with  all 
imaginable  vigor.  In  other  words,  the  war  would 
have  been  carried  by  the  colonists  into  Canada. 
But  not  so  thought  Lord  Loudon.  With  every 
means  with  which  to  secure  a  brilliant  series  of 
conclusive  victories  ready  at  his  hand,  he  fool- 
ishly projected  an  excursion  against  the  distant 
French  fortress  at  Louisburg,  on  the  island  of 


52 


GEN. ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


Cape  Breton,  at  tho  mouth  of  the  St.  Lawrence, 
the  rallying  point  for  the  French  on  this  conti- 
nent. Here  lie  thonijfht  to  strike  a  decisive  blow 
which  would  bring  him  sudden  fame  for  future 
enjoyment  at  home.  In  order  to  achieve  this 
contemplated  success,  it  was  first  necessary  for 
him  to  concentrate  his  troops  at  Halifax.  It  was 
far  into  the  summer  when  he  reached  that  point, 
and  then  it  was  only  to  learn  that  a  large  fleet  of 
French  vessels  had  just  before  arrived  at  Louis- 
burg,  which  was  now  abundantly  able  to  protect 
the  fortification  there  from  assault.  So  Loudon 
gave  over  liis  purpose  altogether.  He  did  not 
even  make  an  effort  to  secure  the  victory  of  which 
he  was,  only  a  little  time  before,  so  sanguine  and 
certain.  He  left  his  ships  to  watch  the  further 
movements  of  the  French,  and  hastened  back 
himself  to  New  York.  And  thus  nothing  was 
accomplished  by  him  during  that  year. 

But  Montcalm  understood  the  situation  of 
affairs  exactly.  He  knew  that  Louisburg  could 
now  take  care  of  itself,  and  he  also  knew  that  the 
provincial  and  English  force  on  the  Canada  lines 
must  be  much  weakened  by  this  ill-timed  move- 
ment of  Loudon.     So  he  resolved  to  improve  the 


CONTINUATION   OF  THE   FRENCH   WAR. 


53 


advantage  ofrcrcd  by  tlit'sc  oircniinstaiicos,  and  to 
pnsli  down  Lake  George  and  take  possession  of 
Fort  William  Ileiny.  It  was  a  4)old  undertak- 
ing, and  yet  it  appeared  a  very  feasible  one. 
This  fort  was  but  a  poor  aftair  at  best.  It  stood 
on  a  piece  of  ground  gently  rising  from  the 
shore  of  the  lake,  and  had  for  a  garrison  about 
three  thousand  men.  At  Fort  Edward,  which 
was  the  lower  fort,  Gen.  Webb  commanded; 
and  the  force  under  him  was  even  larger  than 
that  at  Fort  William  Henry.  Montcalm  had  an 
army  of  nine  thousand  men,  including  both 
French  and  Indians.  During  the  month  of 
March  previous,  he  had  ventured  upon  an  att(?mpt 
to  take  Fort  William  Henry  ;  but  it  proved  un- 
successful. He  landed  near  that  fortification  on 
St.  Patrick's  eve ;  and  a  large  portion  of  the 
British  Rangers  being  Irishmen,  he  had  not 
miscalculated  in  supposing  that,  inasmuch  as 
they  would  probably  celebrate  that  well-known 
festival,  they  would  become  more  or  less 
intoxicated ;  and  of  this  circumstance  he  in- 
tended to  take  advantage.  Lieut.  Stark  hap- 
pened to  be  in  command  at  the  P'ort  at  that 
time,   and   accidentally  overheard   some    of   th© 

5* 


r, 
>. 

i; 


i 


A 


I 


u 


I 


I 


t 


l!l!^ 


54 


GEN.  ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


Rangers  planning  on  the  evening  previous  for 
their  celebration  of  the  kicxt  day.  As  an  excuse 
for  not  furnishing  them  with  liquor,  he  feigned 
lameness  in  his  wrist,  which  prevented  him  from 
writing ;  so  that  when  the  army  sutler  .  ap- 
plied to  for  the  liquor,  he  replied  that  he  had 
received  orders  not  to  deal  out  any  without 
a  written  order.  Stark's  lame  hand  was  excuse 
enough  for  his  not  writing  such  orders,  and  of 
course  no  spirits  were  dealt  out  to  the  Rangers 
at  all.  The  regular  troops  who  celebrated  the 
occasion  were  affected  with  the  liquor  they  drank, 
and  when  the  attack  was  made,  —  as  it  was,  on 
St.  Patrick's  day, —  the  successful  defen  if  the 
Fort  was  made  entirely  by  the  sober  Rancors. 

Montcalm  had  collected  his  forces,  as  just 
mentioned,  to  the  amount  of  nine  thousand  men, 
French  and  Indians.  It  was  in  the  latter  part 
of  July  already.  General  Webb  had  just  pro- 
ceeded to  Fort  William  Henry,  with  an  escort  of 
two  hundred  men,  taking  their  commander, 
Major  Putnam,  along  with  him.  While  he  re- 
mained at  the  Fort,  he  thought  proper  to  send 
Putnam  down  the  lake  with  a  small  force  of  but 
eighteen  men,  to  discover  where  the  enemy  were, 


Pm  'h 


CONTINUATION   OF  THE   FRENCH   WAR. 


55 


and  in  what  numbers.  They  found  the  ishinds 
at  the  entrance  of  Nurth-wet<t  Bay  alive  with 
them.  Leaving  two  out  of  the  five  boats  bi^hirid, 
that  they  might  appear,  if  detected,  to  be  in- 
nocently engaged  in  fishing,  Putnam  hurried 
back  with  ail  possible  despatch  tr  inform  (5en. 
Webb  of  his  astounding  discovery.  He  of 
course  then  pro})osed  to  return  to  the  rescue  of 
his  comrades,  whom  he  had  left  behind ;  but 
Webb  peremptorily  refused  him  permission. 
By  pleading  and  begging,  however,  he  was 
allowed  to  return,  and  all  the  boats  at  last  found 
their  way  back  in  safety,  although  they  were 
hotly  pursued,  and  at  one  time  nearly  surrounded 
by  the  enemy 

What  does  i  's  cowardly  general  then  do,  but 
compel  Putnam  to  pledge  his  eighteen  men,  by  a 
solemn  oath,  to  keep  their  knowledge  of  the 
enemy's  approach  a  secret  from  the  garrison  at 
Fort  William  Henry,  and  then  order  him  to 
escort  him  with  his  command  back  to  Fort 
Edward.  Putnam  protested,  even  to  a  greater 
extent  than  most  young  officers  would  dare  to 
protest  against  the  orders  of  their  superiors;  but 
it  was  ail  in  vain»     Webb  was  escorted  back  in 


H 

f' 


*  1 


i  I 


r  I 


TT 


ll> 


!■  ii 


i:    ,  ! 


$yl 


56 


GEN.   ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


safety  to  his  distant  (juarters  at  Fort  Edward, 
cruelly  leaving  the  garrison  at  Fort  William 
llonry  ignorant  of  their  danger.  Rut  the  next 
day  he  had  (hought  enough  better  of  it  to  send 
back  Colonel  Monroe,  with  his  regiment,  ordering 
him  to  assume  the  entire  command. 

When  Montcalm  therefore  made  his  appear- 
ance before  the  fort,  he  had  three  men  to  the 
garrison's  one.  First  he  sent  to  Col.  Monroe  a 
summons  to  siirreiider  the  place,  and  humanely 
urged  as  a  reason  the  enormous  bloodshed  and 
cruel  destruction  of  life  that  would  thus  be 
averted.  But  as  the  latter  had  good  reasons  to 
continually  expect  reinforcements  from  General 
Webb  at  Fort  Fidward  below,  he  refused  to  con- 
sider such  a  demand  at  all.  From  that  time  the 
siege  regularly  commenced,  and  continued  for 
six  days.  Word  was  sent  to  Webb  by  expresses 
daring  this  time,  laying  before  him  their  precari- 
ous situation,  and  imploring  immediate  succor; 
but  it  was  a  supplication  to  ears  that  were  deaf. 
The  man  was  either  an  arrant  coward  or  else 
g.  ^ssly  infatuated.  He  did  seem  to  relent,  how- 
ever, after  a  time,  and  changed  his  purpose  so  far 
as  to  send  up  Gen.  Johnson,  together  with  Major 


■:l 


CONTINUATION   OP  TUB   FRENCH   WAR. 


61 


1 


^1^4 


Putnam  and  his  Rangers;  but  they  ha  !  gone  on 
but  about  three  miles  when  lie  despatehed  an 
order  after  them,  calling  them  back  immediately. 
By  the  name  messenger  who  was  the  bearer  of 
this  cowardly  order,  he  sent  a  hotter  to  Colonel 
Monroe,  at  Fort  William  Henry,  informing  him 
that  he  could  render  him  no  assistance,  and  ad- 
vising him  to  surrender  at  once.  The  messenger 
was  intercepted,  and  Montcalm  got  possession  of 
the  letter  and  instantly  knew  how  the  case  stood. 
He  had  just  before  ht^ard  from  his  Indian  scouts 
that  the  force  that  was  marching  up  under  John- 
son and  Putnam,  were,  in  the  language  of  the 
red  men,  as  great  in  numbers  as  the  leaves  on  the 
trees ;  and  he  had  made  up  his  mind  to  beat  a 
retreat  as  early  as  he  could  in  consequence.  But 
this  intercepted  letter  put  a  new  face  on  the 
matter.  He  sent  it  in  to  Col.  Monroe  at  once, 
therefore,  with  a  new  and  more  urgent  demand 
for  him  to  surrender. 

No  other  way,  of  course,  was  left  him.  The 
siege  had  already  nearly  consumed  their  provis- 
ions, while  their  ammunition  was  almost  entirely 
exhausted.  Articles  of  stipulation  were  drawn 
up  between  the  two  commanders,  and  Montcalm 


{ 


58 


GEN.   ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


I  i 


II 


ill 


promised  that,  the  provincial  army  should  be  pro- 
tected on  their  march  down  to  Fort  Edward  by 
an  escort  of  Frencli  troops.  They  were  to  march 
out  with  their  arms  and  their  baggage.  They 
should  not  again  serve  against  the  French  for 
eighteen  months ;  and  the  sick  and  \vounded 
were  to  be  cared  for  by  Montcalm,  until  such 
time  as  they  should  sufficiently  recover  to  be 
safely  escorted  to  Fort  Edward. 

The  moment  the  last  lines  of  the  army  had 
passed  the  gates  of  the  fort,  the  Indians,  number- 
ing some  two  thousand  in  all,  set  up  their  hideous 
war-cry,  shrill  and  fearful  in  the  ears  of  the  terror- 
stricken  provincials,  and  fell  upon  them  with  all 
the  strength  and  fury  of  their  long  pent  passion. 
They  were,  no  doubt,  expecting  a  large  amount 
of  plunder  from  this  expedition  against  Fort 
William  Henry,  and  when  they  saw  their  enemy 
thus  about  to  escape  them,  they  were  able  no 
longer  to  control  their  savage  indignation  ; 
neither  could  Montcalm  hold  them  in  check,  as 
he  had  already  hinted  in  his  first  summons  to  the 
garrison  to  surrender.  The  French  were  power- 
less to  afford  them  the  least  protection,  even  if 
they  made  the  attempt.     Such  an  iiidiscriniinate 


CONTINUATION   OF  THE  FIIENCU   WAR. 


59 


M 


v% 


if 

ate 


and  merciless  massacre  as  on  ihat  bloody  day 
was  enacted  on  the  borders  of  beautiful  Lake 
George,  is  scarcely  matched,  certainly  not  ex- 
ceeded, by  any  similar  transaction  recorded  in 
history  Those  who  fled  were  jjursued  by  the 
savages  for  more  than  half  the  way  to  Fort 
Edward,  who  filled  the  forest  with  the  wild 
echoes  of  their  hideous  war-whoop.  Fifteen  hun- 
dred of  this  devoted  little  army  were  butchered 
on  the  spot  where  protection  had  been  solemnly 
promised  them.  The  remnant,  which  did  not 
finally  reach  Fort  Edward,  were  dragged  away 
into  captivity,  to  suffer  and  at  last  to  die.  The 
defile  through  which  they  retreated  from  the  fort, 
is  called  Bloody  Defile  to  this  day.  Only  a  few 
years  ago,  on  making  excavations  for  a  plank 
road  there,  a  large  number  of  human  skeletons 
were  thrown  up  to  the  surface.  Several  skulls 
had  long  fractures  in  them,  as  if  made  by  toma- 
hawks. 

Webb  was  greatly  alarmed  on  hearing  what 
had  been  done,  as  well  he  might  be.  He  therot- 
fore  sent  forward  Major  Putnam,  with  his  com- 
mand, to  reconnoitre,  and  report  if  the  enemy 
were    about   to   inarch    down   next    upon    For< 


1  m 


I  !  r 


! 


:i( 


f  i 


60 


GEN.   ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


Edward.  And  there  is  little  doubt,  that,  in  case 
they  had  done  so,  he  would  have  (led  (Voiii  the 
place  with  cowardly  preeipitaney,  leaving  such 
of  his  men  as  would  not  acconi|)any  him  to  take 
the  best  care  they  could  of  themselves.  Putnam 
reached  the  fort  only  to  find  it  a  mass  of  ruins. 
The  French,  having  finished  their  diabolical 
work,  were  just  getting  into  their  boats  to  return 
up  the  lake.  Putnam  describes  the  scene  that 
met  his  gaze,  as  he  came  up,  in  the  following 
words:  "The  fort  was  entirely  demolished;  the 
barracks,  out-houses,  and  baildings,  were  a  heap 
of  ruins;  the  cannon,  stores,  boats,  and  vessck 
were  all  carried  away.  The  fires  were  still  burn- 
ing ;  the  smoke  and  stench  offensive  and  suifo- 
cating.  Innumerable  fragments,  human  skulls 
and  bones,  and  carcasses  half  consumcxl,  were 
still  frying  and  broiling  in  the  decaying  fires. 
Dead  bodies,  mangled  with  knives  and  toma- 
hawivs,  in  all  the  wantonness  of  Indian  fierce- 
ness and  barbarity,  were  everywhere  to  be  seen. 
More  than  one  hundred  women,  butchered  and 
shockingly  mangled,  lay  upon  the  ground,  still 
weltering  in  their  gore.  Devastation,  barbarity, 
and   horror  everywhere  appeared,  and  the  spec- 


:   iil;  :  ... 
I  ii'       ■• 


CONTINUATION   OF  THE   FRENCH   WAR. 


61 


tacle  prcscnli'd  was  too  diabolical  and  awful 
either  to  Im;  ciidnrrd  or  descril)("d." 

Fort  William  Henry  was  never  rebuilt.  Fort 
Ge()r<^(^  wart  built  upon  a  point  about  a  milo  to 
the  wouth-east  of  it,  at  whieli  the  Kn^iish  army 
rendezvoused  the  next  year,  just  before  their  bril- 
liant, but  most  unfortunate  expcnlition  against  the 
French  on  Lake  Champlain. 

Later  the  same  year.  General  Lyman,  the  old 
comniander  under  whom  Putnam  first  served  in 
this  war,  was  in  authority  at  Fort  Edward,  and 
began  to  make  his  position  as  secure  and  strong 
as  circumstances  would  allow.  One  day  he 
despatched  a  party  of  more  than  a  hundred  men 
into  the  forest  to  cut  timber,  and  a  guard  of 
fii.y  regular  troops  was  sent  out  to  protect  them 
against  any  sudden  surprises.  There  was  a 
narrow  road  leading  to  the  fort,  at  the  extremity 
of  which  the  soldiers  were  posted.  One  side;  of 
this  road  was  bounded  by  a  morass,  and  the  other 
by  a  creek.  Early  one  morning,  before  the  sun, 
in  fact,  was  fairly  np  in  the  east,  one  of  the  sen- 
tinels thought  he  saw  a  flock  of  birds  flying  over; 
and,  on  looking  carefully,  he  discovered  that  one 
of  these  feathered  creatures  lodged  in  the  top  of  a 


;? 


62 


GEN.  ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


1  !i 


i    !  !  ' 


tree  above  his  head,  and  took  the  form  of  an 
Indian  arrow.  He  gave  the  ahirin,  and  it  was 
found  that  a  party  of  savages  had  crept  into  the 
morass  during  the  night,  who,  as  soon  as  the 
alarm  was  sounded,  rushed  out  from  their  hiding 
place  and  murdered  those  of  the  laborers  who 
were  nearest  at  hand,  driving  the  rest  into  the 
fort,  which  was  some  hundred  rods  off.  The 
regulars  came  to  the  rescue  in  an  instant,  and 
drove  back  the  Indians  by  a  volley  of  musketry, 
so  that  the  rest  of  the  laborers  were  at  last  en- 
abled to  reach  the  fort  in  safety. 

Gen.  Lyman  is  supposed  to  have  misinter- 
preted the  state  of  things,  having  been  so 
thoroughly  surprised,  and  therefore  called  in  all 
his  outposts  and  shut  the  gates  of  the  fort.  He 
supposed  that  a  general  attack  against  the  fort 
from  all  points  was  intended,  and  felt  the  stern 
necessity  upon  him,  for  the  moment,  of  leaving 
the  little  company  of  fifty  regulars  under  Capt. 
Little  to  take  care  of  themselves.  It  was  a  cruel 
mistake,  though  Gen.  Lyman  was  never  charged 
with  cowardice  in  making  it.  Putnam  happened 
to  be  placed  on  guard  at  the  time,  with  a  body 
of  rangers  atone  of  the  outposts,  which  was  on  a 


CONTINUATION   OP  THE  FRENCH   WAR. 


63 


a 


small  island  situated  not  far  from  the  fort.  The 
moment  he  heard  the  sound  of  the  firing  in  the 
direction  of  Capt.  Little's  company,  he  sprang 
with  his  usual  impulsiveness  into  the  water,  and 
bade  h?s  men  follow  him.  As  it  was  necessary 
for  him  to  pass  the  fort  on  his  way,  Gen.  Lyman 
leaped  to  the  parapet  as  he  came  on,  and  ordered 
him  to  stop  where  he  was.  He  said  it  was  need- 
less to  risk  the  lives  of  any  more  men  ;  for  he 
certainly  supposed  that  the  entire  army  of  French 
and  Indians  were  right  upon  them.  Putnam, 
however,  declared  that  he  could  not  suffer  a  fel- 
low-officer to  be  sacrificed  without  even  an  efTort 
to  save  him ;  and,  after  offering  a  brief  and  very 
hasty  excuse  for  his  conduct,  pushed  forward 
with  the  hot  haste  that  was  so  characteristic  of 
his  nature.  He  thought  of  nothing,  and  cared 
for  nothing,  but  to  rescue  his  brave  companions. 

They  reached  the  company  of  regulars  who 
were  thus  fighting  for  their  lives,  and  rallied 
around  them  in  an  instant.  Putnam  was  for 
going  pell-mell  into  the  swamp ;  and  in  they 
went,  raising  a  shout,  as  they  did  so,  loud  enough 
to  have  frightened  the  very  beasts  of  the  forest. 
The  Indians  were  not  expecting  to  be  received  in 


i: 


Ill 


I  ■'! 


II 

, »  'li .  1 

^  f  : 

' 

i 

■■     ■    ; 

•:■ 

1 

\ 

i  ii|  1 

\ 

" 

I     i 


niii.ii; 


64 


GEN.   ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


quite  this  style,  entertaining  no  such  ideas  of  the 
courage  of  their  enemy;  they  theiefore  took  to 
flight  with  great  i)recipitancy,  and  were  hotly 
pursued  during  the  rest  of  the  day  into  the  forest. 
Putnam  returned  to  the  fort  with  his  men,  ex- 
pecting, of  course,  to  be  disgraced  for  his  open 
disobedience  of  orders ;  but  the  general  thought 
proper,  under  all  the  circumstances,  to  let  the 
matter  pass  by  in  silence,  and  probably  was  glad 
of  an  excuse  to  get  over  it  so  easily.  It  would, 
without  doubt,  have  created  an  intense  excite- 
ment in  the  garrison,  had  Putnam  rtH*eived  even 
a  reprimand  for  his  brave  and  self-sacriiicing  con- 
duct on  so  trvinjj  an  occasion. 

Putnam  remained  at  Fort  Edward  during  that 
winter.  In  the  course  of  the  winter,  too,  another 
opportunity  otl'ered  for  him  to  make  a  display  of 
that  cool  courage  and  bold  daring,  for  which  he 
enjoyed  so  wide  a  fame  among  the  soldiers. 
The  barracks  caught  fire  at  a  point  not  more 
than  twelve  feet  distant  from  the  powder  maga- 
zine, in  which  were  stored  about  fifteen  tons  of 
})owder.  Camion  were  brought  to  bear  upon 
them,  in  the  hope  of  battering  down  a  portion  of 
them,  and  thus  staying  the  progress  of  the  fire. 


■•t 


•I- 


5      ! 


CONTINUATION    OF  THE  FRENCH   WAU 


65 


But  it  was  ill  vain.  Putnam  saw  the  extreme 
danger,  and,  knowing  that  tlie  (lames  were  rap- 
idly advancing  in  the  direetion  of  tlie  magazine, 
determined  to  make  every  exertion  possible  to 
check  them.  For  this  ))urpose,  he  stood  u[)on 
a  ladder  reaching  to  the  roof,  and  took  the 
buckets  of  water  as  they  were  passed  up  to 
him  from  the  line  of  men  that  was  formed  be- 
tween the  fort  and  the  river,  and  himself 
kept  dashing  it  without  intermission  upon  the 
flames.  The  heat  grew  every  moment  more 
and  more  intense,  till  he  thought  at  times  he 
could  endure  it  no  longer.  The  fire  gained  on 
him  in  spite  of  his  efforts,  and  he  found  him- 
self enshrouded  in  a  rolling  mass  of  smoke  and 
flame.  One  pair  of  thick  woollen  mittens  was 
burned  off"  his  hands,  and  he  immediately  called 
for  another ;  these  he  kept  continually  dipping 
in  the  water,  to  preserve  them  from  the  fate  of 
the  other  pair. 

He  was  even  directed  to  come  down,  as  it 
was  worse  than  useless  to  expose  himself  in 
this  way  any  longer  ;  but  he  resolutely  re- 
fused, fighting  the  furious  enemy  with  a  des- 
perate energy  that  excited  general  wondei-  and 


66 


GEN.  ISUAKL   I'UTNAM. 


I 


If  J      ! 


1  il: 


I'i 


11  r 


'■  in 


* 


adtniratioii.  Still  all  Iho  while  Iio  ap|)oar(Ml  as 
C(M>1  aiui  colU'ctccl  as  if  tlicro  was  no  siicii  dan- 
ger as  fiftocMi  tt)ns  of  |)ow(lrr  coiilained,  witiuii 
il  miU*  of  hini.  Sonir  of  the  tneii,  in  the  mean- 
time, strieken  with  a  |)anie,  were  proe. cding 
to  get  their  few  valnaMes  oni  of  the  A)rt  and 
make  n^idy   for  the  expeeted  expU)sion. 

Up  to  this  time,  only  ii  single  angle  of  the 
barracks  was  on  fire  ;  hut  now  the  llames  vn- 
wrajiped  the  entire  line,  and  were  bent  on  get- 
ting at  the  powder  b(>yond.  Putnam  was  then 
obliged  to  leave  his  post  on  the  ladder,  and 
came  down  and  planted  himself,  as  the  last 
resource,  between  the  burning  barracks  and  the 
magazine,  and  called  for  more  water.  They 
kept  passing  it  to  him  in  a  steady  stream  of 
buckets.  The  fire  had  now  caught  the  outside 
timbers  of  the  magazine,  and  burned  them  com- 
pletely otf.  Only  a  single  thickness  remained 
betw^een  that  and  the  powder,  and  that  was 
soon  reduced  to  a  living  coal  !  Some  thought 
of  ilight ;  but  Putnam  w^orked  on.  While  his 
sturdy  form  stood  confronting  the  fires,  it  acted 
upon  those  who  saw  him  like  a  magnet,  to  at- 
tract them  to  the  spot.     So  they  all  worked  with 


CONTINUATION   OF  TIIK   FllKNCII    WAR. 


G7 


pjoator   onthnsiasm    still.      Piitruiin  was  rovcrcd 
with    tl)<>    tiru'lv-ialliim    ciiulcrs,   and    cnsliroiKird 


wi 


th    tl 


i(>    sinolu 


i: 


v< 


ry 


Ol 


\\r    rxpcctcd    to    sco 


him  ^'ivc  out  brforc  so  relent Irss  a  loc  as  \\\o. 
one  he  had  undertaken  to  contend  with.  'I'his 
was  a  rarer  display  of  true  eouraij;e  than  when 
he  went  down  alone  into  tin;  wolf's  den  at  mid- 
night, finding  his  way  along  with  a  iTiekering 
toreh.  Il<*  poured  on  the  water  incessantly. 
At  last  the  main  timl)ers  of  tlu;  barracks  hav- 
ing burned  through,  they  fell  in,  and  tlx'  danger 
WiiH  over.  For  nearly  two  hours  he  had  fought 
the  fire  single-handed.  l\v.  was  blistered  from 
liead  to  foot,  from  his  exposure  to  tlx;  intense 
heat;  and  on  drawing  his  second  pair  of  mit- 
tens from  his  hands,  the  sl'iu  came  with  thein 
too. 

He  was  a  keen  sufferer  from  th(r  effects  of 
those  blisters  and  burns,  and  it  was  many 
weeks  before  he  was  able  to  feel  that  his 
case  had  taken  a  favorable  turn.  But  by 
this  single  act  he  had  earned  for  hims(;lf 
the  warmest  admiration  and  the  hearty  grat- 
itude of  the  garrison,  and  ind(»ed  of  the  en- 
tire army.     No  one  could  justly  estimate  what 


68 


GEN.  ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


ho  alone  had  saved,  by  thus  pubduing  nneh 
a  rernorseles  enemy  as  for  a  time  threatened 
to  overwhchn  them  all  with  instant  destruc- 
tion. 


9     ■      ill 


CHAPTER    IV. 


CAMPAIGN   OF   1768. 


WILLIAM  PITT,  afterwards  Lord  Chat- 
ham, had  been  entrusted  with  the 
administration  of  aflairs  by  the  Brit- 
ish government  during  the  previous  year,  tiie 
King  finding  the  people  at  home  and  his  colonies 
in  America  were  growing  exceedingly  restive 
under  the  accumulating  disasters  and  mortifi- 
cations of  the  war.  Thus  far,  nothing  seemed 
to  have  come  of  all  their  efforts  and  sacrifices. 
The  three  or  four  northern  colonies  that  had 
heretofore  been  so  lavish  of  their  men  and 
money  in  the  prosecution  of  the  war,  —  a  war, 
too,  which  was  to  bring  no  immediate  advan- 
tage to  themselves,  —  felt  that  it  was  a  drain 
upon  them  to  go  on  in  this  way,  for  which 
there  was  no  likelihood  that  they  would  ever 
receive  a  proper  compensation.     Had  the  army 


70 


GEN.   ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


li 


;ii[ 


6  ■' 


i8i 


achieved  any  signal  successes,  it  would  have 
been  a  different  thing ;  but  the  idea  of  continu- 
ing as  they  had  been  doing  for  the  past  two 
and  three  campaigns,  caused  no  little  irritation 
and  disquiet  among  them.  They  had  raised  fif- 
teen thousand  men  to  carry  on  this  war ;  and 
they  hesitated  about  raising  any  more  with  so 
little  promise  of  success. 

As  soon,  however,  as  it  was  understood  that 
the  king  had  changed  his  ministry,  their  hopes 
changed  too,  and  they  looked  forward  to  a 
chance  now  of  retrieving  their  past  losses,  and 
securing  that  honorable  peace  for  which  they 
had  been  fighting. 

Mr.  Pitt  saw  at  once,  with  his  instinctive 
comprehensiveness  of  mind,  that  the  arms  of 
the  English  had  failed  of  success  hitherto,  on 
account  of  the  lack  of  capacity  and  courage 
on  the  part  of  the  leaders.  He  therefore  ire- 
solved  to  '  ecall  the  inefficient  Lord  Loudon ; 
and  ordered  Abercrombie  to  resume  the  com- 
mand, in  which  the  former  had,  only  the  year 
before  superseded  him.  General  Abercrombie 
made  his  liead  quarters  at  Fort  Ed\va:a.  He 
had  been  there  but  a  little  while,  when  he  gave 


It'fi! 


CAMPAIGN   OP    1758. 


71 


directions  to  Major  Putnam  to  take  sixty  men 
with  him  down  towards  South  Bay,  beyond 
the  place  where  Wood  Creek  emjities  into  Lake 
Champhiin,  and  liiere  watch  for  such  parties 
of  the  French  as  might  come  straggling  along 
in  their  direction.  This  was  business  exactly 
suited  to  Putnam's  mind,  and  he  proceeded  to 
obey  so  welcome  an  order  with  his  usual  alac- 
rity. Arriving  at  a  spot  which  he  thought  a 
most  favorable  one  for  entrenching  his  little 
party,  he  threw  up  a  breast-work  of  stone 
some  thirty  feet  in  length,  and  ingeniously 
concealed  the  whole  with  young  pine  trees 
which  were  chopped  for  the  purpose.  The 
creek  at  that  point  was  only  thirty  yards  in 
width;  and  the  precipice  on  which  he  erected 
his  fortification  lifted  itself  some  ten  or  fifteen 
feet  straight  above  the  water.  The  opposite 
bank  was  very  steep,  and  fully  twenty  feet  in 
height. 

The  party  became  short  of  provisions,  after 
a  time,  although  Putnam  had  already  sent  back 
fifteen  men  to  Fort  Edward,  who  were  too  un- 
well to  stand  the  exposure  any  longer.  He  felt 
sorely  the  want  to  which  they  were  getting  re- 


n  ■ 


i ' 


■  i 


P!;  t 


11 
!  i 


ii 


72 


GEN.   ISRAEL   PUTNAM. 


dneod,  ami  oast  abont  to  find  somo  way  of  se- 
curing temporary  t<uppIios.  Ilapponing  to  soe 
a  larfje  buck  rincrLjiiiiJ:  from  tlio  tliickct  and 
making  ready  to  plunge  into  the  ereek  and 
swim  to  the  other  bank,  he  impulsively  fired 
and  brought  the  animal  to  the  ground.  At 
such  a  time,  the  firing  of  a  gun  was  contrary 
to  military  rules,  and  the  most  hazardous  ex- 
periment that  could  have  been  tried.  And  it 
proved  so  in  the  present  instance.  Molang,  the 
famous  French  partisan,  —  of  whom  we  have 
spoken  before,  —  chanced  to  be  in  the  vicinity 
with  a  party  of  French  and  Indians,  moving 
stealthily  down  towards  the  American  forces. 
This  warning,  which  Putnam's  musket  fur- 
nished him,  also  sufficed  to  show  him  where 
the  provincial  scouts  were  stationed ;  and  the 
moment  his  sentinel,  who  had  heard  the  report 
of  the  nmsket,  brought  in  word  to  that  effect, 
Molang  resolved  upon  either  surprising  them 
where  they  were,  or  stealing  past  them  unper- 
ceivcd  into  the  country  below 

The  French  and  Indians  glided  on  down  the 
creek  as  silently  as  possible.  They  detected  as 
yet  no  signs  of  an  ambush,  for  the   pine   trees 


li 


CAMPAIGN   OF   1758. 


73 


before  the  pampct  whioli  Putnam  hiid  erected 
served  r.s  a  perfect  screen.  At  about  ten  o'clock 
at  night,  one  of  the  Auieru^an  sentinels  brought 
in  word  that  he  saw  a  great  many  canoes,  filled 
with  men,  adviuicing  in  tlie  silence  of  the  night 
in  their  direction,  and  that  they  would  soon  be 
within  reach  of  the  fort  on  the  bank.  Putnam 
called  in  the  sentinels,  and  prepared  to  gr'ct 
the  enemy  in  his  earnest  manner,  as  soon  as  they 
should  make  their  a])j)earance.  It  was  a  per- 
feclly  still  night,  and  a  full  moon  flooded  tlu^ 
landscape  with  its  melUnv  light.  All  within 
the  little  parapet  was  hushed.  There  was  not 
even  the  rustle  of  a  bough,  or  the  crackle  of  a 
twig  to  be  heard.  The  canoes  came  in  sight. 
They  were  indeed  packed  with  men,  as  the 
sentinel  had  warned  them.  Putnam  resolved 
to  allow  the  first  part  of  the  line  of  boats  to 
get  well  into  tJie  throat  of  the  walery  defile, 
and  then  to  oj)en  fire  upon  them  and  take  all 
possible  and  destructive  advantage  of  their  con- 
fusion. 

They  had  paddled  their  way  into  this  treach- 
erous snare,  not  a  sound  as  yet  breaking  the 
stillness,  when  a  soldier  in  the  American  party 


..j|. 


f 


74 


GEN.   ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


accidontallv  struck  tlio  Unk  of  his  mnskot 
aijaiiist  a  ston«\  "  ()-\vish  I  ''  liissod  llio 
coMimandiT  o(  \hc  (MUMiiy,  halt  in*;  in  his  sud- 
den friglit,  and  rt^pcviting  tho  Iiuliau  walrh-word. 
Tl;e  van  of  tlio  lino  of  boats  haviiit;  thus  oomo 
to  a  stand,  the  roar  crowded  up  rapidly,  and 
in  a  moment  tliey  were  idl  huddled  tt\i;elh(T 
before  tlie  American  breastworks.  Putnam  saw 
his  advantage,  and  eagerly  improv<Hl  it.  He 
at  once  ordered  his  uien  to  fire.  Instantly  the 
entangled  knot  of  canoes  was  \hrown  into  still 
direr  confusion.  The  French  could  not  see 
their  enemy,  and  of  course  could  return  but 
an  inetfectual  fire.  On  the  other  hand,  almost 
every  shot  of  the  American  party  carried  death 
along  with  it.  They  kept  up  their  nmrderous 
work  from  the  parapet  with  unabat«Hl  energy, 
killing  great  numbers  of  the  enemy  in  tlu^  boats, 
whose  lifeless  bodies  went  tumbling  over  the 
sides  and  plashing  into  the  water.  Molang 
at  length  saw,  with  his  quick  eye,  that,  from 
the  tiring  of  the  Americans,  there  could  not  be 
many  of  them,  and  accordingly  sent  otF  a  de» 
tachment  of  his  men  to  land  below  and  attack 
the  entrenci*  d  party  fropi  behind. 


CAMI'AKJN    OF   1768. 


75 


Putiiani,    liowovcr,    van  \\h  <|iii('k    jih    liimsrlf. 
lie    insjaiilly  ordrrcd   a   (Iclaclni.cnt  of  a   do/cii 
iiKMi    \o    go    aiKl     prevent    llieir    landing,    wliieli 
order    was    snceessfully    exeenled ;    and    hv    Hent 
Htill    another    parly    np   th(^   creek,    lo    prevent,  a 
similar  df'nionstration    in  Ihat,  direction.     There 
worn  tlniH   left   only   twenty    men    with    Pntnaia 
in    the   fort,;    and   thes(?   kept,   loading  and    firing 
tiieir  pieces  during  tluv  remainder  of  the    night, 
making    great    luivoc    with    tlie    boats,    bnt    not 
even   sacri(l(ring   a   single  lif«!   among   Iheir  own 
number.       Tt    was    discovered,    when    morning 
broke,    ihat    a    part    of   the    ^Ven<^h    had    suc- 
ceeded   in    making    a    landing    below,    between 
the   Americans   and    T'ort  l^ldward,   and   nothing 
was  left  th<^  latter  l)nt  to  retreat  with  ail  [)ossi- 
ble  despatch.     This  last  order  of  Putnam's  waa 
,     executed  with  signal  success.     Only  two  of  the 
American    scouting    party    w(Te    wounded    dur- 
ing this  action,   while    nearly  three   hundred   of 
the  enemy  fell  ben(;ath  the  fire  from  behind  the 
concealed  battlements  on  the  bank.     Th(!S(;  two 
were  sent  off,  with  two   otliers,  to  th<«  fort,   but 
were    afterwards    overtaken    by    their     |)ursuers, 
having    been    tracked    by    their    blood    on    tho 


4 


i'f: 


76 


GEN.  ISRAEL   PUTNAM. 


ground.  Thoy  advised  thoir  escort  to  fly,  which 
the  latter  did.  One  of  them  then  killed  three 
of  the  Indians,  before  they  succeeded  in  des- 
patching him,  and  the  other  was  carried  off  a 
prisoner  into  Canada.  Putnam  afterwards  saw 
him  there,  when  himself  a  prisoner  in  the 
hands   of  the    French. 

On  his  retreat  to  Fort  Edward,  having  only 
forty  men  under  him  in  all,  Putnam  was  sud- 
denly surprised  to  find  himself  fired  upon  by 
a  party  that  was  unexpectedly  approaching  in 
front.  Ignorant  of  their  numbers,  he  neverthe- 
less determined  to  rush  forward  to  the  conflict, 
and  at  once  fight  his  way  through  or  run  the 
chances  for  his  life.  Scarcely  had  he  set  up 
his  loud  shout  for  his  men  to  follow  their 
leader,  when  a  cry  arose  from  the  other  side, 
—  "  Hold,  we  are  friends  !  "  "  Friends,  or  foes," 
said  Putnam,  when  they  came  up,  "  you  deserve 
to  be  fired  into  for  doing  so  little  execution, 
when  you  had  so  fair  a  shot ! "  The  party 
proved  to  be  a  detachment  of  men  from  the 
fort,  who  had  been  sent  to  cover  the  retreat  of 
the  little  force  under  Putnam. 

Gen.  Abercrombie  determined,  not  long  after 


t^ 


CAMPAIGN   OF    1758. 


77 


taking  possession  of  his  post  at  Fort  Edward 
that  year,  to  signalize  the  year's  campaign  by 
some  brilliant  undertaking.  IIc^  could  think  of 
nothing  which  would  bring  him  larger  and  more 
sudd(!n  fame  than  the  capture  of  Fort  Ticon- 
deroga,  and  he  therefore;  formed  the  resolution 
to  compass  such  a  j)lan  before  the  season  went 
by.  It  was  a  hazardous  undertaking,  as  he 
well  knew  ;  the  fortifications  were  of  the  most 
thorough  and  extensive  character ;  the  site  was 
almost  a  perfect  defence  of  itself ;  and  it  re- 
quired all  the  strength  and  courage  of  a  well 
appointed  and  highly  disciplined  army  to  march 
up  to  storm  such  a  fortress,  in  the  face  of  the 
thousand  obstacles  which  the  garrison  had  it 
in  their  power  to  throw  in  their  way.  But 
Abercrombie  seemed  to  have  set  his  heart  on 
the  undertaking.  His  imagination,  it  is  easy 
to  suppose,  was  dazzled  with  visions  of  the 
military  glory  which  its  capture  would  earn 
for  his  name. 

It  so  chanced  that  the  garrison  within  the 
fort  at  Ticonderoga  was  at  one  time  this  sum- 
mer reduced  to  four  thousand  men  ;  whereas 
Abercrombie  had  at  his  command  fully  sixteen 

7* 


"^  m 


I 


!■ 


if  » 

1^ 


\- 


n 


78 


GEN.   ISRAEL   PUTNAM. 


Ihonsniul,  nlnr  ilumsniul  of  whom  worn  fur- 
irtsliiul  hv  IIk'  Colonics.  Tliov  assoniblcd  at 
Fort  Goorgo,  and  sot  sail  on  tlio  lake  on  the 
5th  (lay  o\'  July,  in  tlio  gray  of  tlio  niornint(. 
It  was  a  Saturday.  'Vhv  array  tluis  prrsrnicd 
on  th<^  surface  of  that  beautiful  lake,  formed  a 
picture  to  which  no  descriptive  pew  could  ilo 
the  justice  it  deserves.  There  were  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty-five  whale  boats,  and  nine  hun- 
dred batteaux,  all  laden  heavily  with  men  and 
arms.  In  the  sultry  twilii^^ht  of  the  same  even- 
ing  they  debarked  at  a  point  on  the  lake  called 
Sabbath  Day  Point,  wIktc  they  remained  until 
midnight,  refreshing  themselves  with  rest  after 
the  long  day's  heat  and  fatigue.  Young  Lord 
Howe  was  with  the  army,  the  Idol  and  adored 
of  all.  He  gathered  around  his  table  the  many 
youthful  and  gallant  spirits  of  the  army,  w^ith 
whom  he  discoursed  w^ith  great  freedom  and 
eloquence  on  the  prospects  of  this  most  splen- 
did expedition.  Capt.  Stark  was  present,  who 
afterwards  achieved  a  lasting  renown  as  one  of 
the  Generals  of  the  Revolution.  Much  was  said 
about  the  situation  of  Ticonderoga,  its  defences, 
the  means  of  approach  to  its  fastnesses,  and  the 


CAMPAIGN   OP    1758. 


79 


probablo  irrrninalioii  of  the  attempt  to  rcduco 
it  by  their  arms.  Tlieri^  were  those  present, 
who,  on  rec^allin^  many  things  wliich  IIowo 
uttered  tliat  niglit,  thonght  they  detectted  a 
gleam  of  that  sa(hiesH  of  his  to  which  they 
afterwards  gav(*  the  name  of   presentiirient. 

This  flotilla  of  mon^  than  a  thousand  boats 
on  the  bosom  of  tli(^  lake,  presented  a  splendid 
military  pageant.  Howe,  in  a  large  boat,  led 
the  van,  surrounded  by  a  company  of  Rangers 
and  boatmen.  TIk;  J^inglish  troops  were  dis- 
played in  the  centre,  and  the  Provincials  formed 
the  wings.  It  was  a  little  after  midnight  when 
they  re-embarked  and  began  to  move  ft)rward 
again.  There  was  not  a  cloud  to  be  seen  in 
the  sky ;  the  stars  shone  out  bright  and  s[)arlv- 
ling;  and  the  placid  lake  was  unruflh^d  by  the 
breath  of  the  lightest  breeze.  Their  oars  were 
muffled,  and  their  progress  was  so  silent  that 
not  a  single  one  of  the  sentinels  on  the  sur- 
rounding hillsides  observed  them.  It  was  day- 
dawn  when  they  had  come  within  four  mih.'S 
of  the  point  at  which  they  were  to  land.  The 
sentinels  of  the  French  had  no  suspicion  of  the 
presence  or  even  of  the   approach  of  the  Eng- 


'Ill 

1 


ri 


'I 

I  !  1 
I  I 


tii 


1)  I 


111 
III 


80 


GEN.  ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


lish  army,  until  the  blaze  of  their  scarlet  uni- 
forms flashed  in  their  eyes,  as  the  erowded 
boats  rounded  the  point  of  land  that  intervened. 
Th(^y  landed  at  about  noon  in  a  little  cove  on 
the  west  side  of  the  lake,  Lord  Howe  leading 
on  the  vanguard  of  the  army.  The  Rangers 
pushed  forward  through  tlie  forest,  to  clear  the 
way  for  the  main  body.  Howe  came  to  the 
bridge  that  spanned  the  stream  formed  by  the 
emptying  of  Lake  George  into  Lake  Champ- 
lain,  at  the  point  known  as  Lower  Falls  ;  and 
thence  he  hurried  on  for  the  distance  of  a  mile 
and  a  quarter  to  the  French  lines. 

The  F  'uch  first  erected  their  fortifications 
at  Ticonderoga  in  1755.  They  found  that  site 
most  happily  adapted  to  the  requirements  of  a 
fortress,  it  being  peninsular  in  form,  and  ele- 
vated more  than  a  hundred  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  lake.  On  three  sides  was  water,  while 
on  the  fourth  was  an  almost  impassable  swamp, 
or  morass.  This  latter  was  situated  to  the  north. 
There  was  a  neck,  or  narrow  strip  of  land,  be- 
tween this  swamp  and  the  outlet  of  Lake 
George,  upon  which  were  built  regular  en- 
trenchments, and  afterwards  a  breastwork   nine 


CAMPAIGN    OF    1758. 


81 


feet  in  lieight ;  and  before  this  breastwork  was 
an  abatis, — wliicli  is  formed  of  trees  cut  down 
and  pointed  willi  their  sharj)  branches  out- 
ward, rendering  it  extremely  dillicult  for  op- 
posing troops  to  make  their  way  over  them  in 
an  attempt  at  storming. 

As  we  before  remarked,  Montcalm  had  but 
four  thousand  men  under  his  command  in  the 
fortress,  and  was  at  the  time  expecting  a  re- 
inforcement of  three  thousand  from  Canada. 
Abercrombie  knew  this  very  well.  The  lat- 
ter advanced  his  army  in  three  columns,  but 
they  made  but  slow  progress  on  account  of 
the  intricacy  of  the  forest  into  which  so  large 
an  army  had  been  plunged.  An  advance  bat- 
talion of  the  French  fled  from  the  log  breast- 
work they  occupied,  at  their  approach,  which 
they  fired  as  they  fled.  Lord  Howe  was  sec- 
ond in  command.  Putnam  acted  as  an  ad- 
vance guard  to  thread  the  forest^  and  to  per- 
form the  valuable  service  of  a  scout.  He  had 
a  hundred  brave  men  under  him.  Young 
Howe  was  eager  to  advance  as  fust  as  the 
scouts,  and  proposed  to  Major  Putnam  to  ac- 
company   him ;    but   to    this   the    latter   would 


|!«P> 


f  |i! 


I 


in 


82 


GEN.    ISRAEL   PUTNAM. 


not  listoii.  Uv  nobly  said  to  him,  in  Iryiiig 
to  dissuailo  liiin  from  his  purpose,  "  My  Lord, 
if  I  am  killed,  the  loss  of  my  life  will  be  of  lit- 
tle coiis('(|nence  ;  but  the  safety  of  yours  is  of 
infmite  importance  to  this  army."  "  Your  life," 
instantlv  answered  Howe,  "  is  as  dear  to  you 
as  mine  is  to  me !  J  am  determined  to  go ! " 
And  he  did  go.  It  was  not  long  before  they 
came  up  with  the  advance  guard  of  the  enemy, 
the  same  w^hich  had  a  little  while  before  fled 
and  burned  the  log  breastw^orks.  This  body 
was  without  a  guide,  it  seems,  and  had  be- 
come bewildered  in  trying  to  find  their  way 
back  to  the  French  lines.  At  once  fighting 
began  between  the  parties,  and  Lord  Howe 
fell  at  the  very  first  fire  !  The  French,  how- 
ever, were  driven  back,  having  lost  in  killed 
and  prisoners  four  hundred  and  fifty  men. 
The  English  were  greatly  confused,  their  lines 
broken,  and  at  the  end  of  the  engagement 
Abercrombie  w^ithdrew  with  them  again  t(? 
the  landing  place  on  Lake  George,  to  obtain 
rest   and   refreshment. 

It   was   said    that   when    young    Lord    Howe 
fell,  "  the  soul  of  the  army   seemed  to  e;cpire." 


CAMPAKIX   OF    1758. 


83 


The  soldiers  all  adored  iiiin.  He  nccornmo- 
datcd  himself  to  all  the  (tireiunstances  of  his 
situation,  and  eiit  his  hair  and  shii[)ed  his  gar- 
ments to  suit  th<;  re<|nirements  of  tlur  serviee 
and  tiie  fasliion  of  tin;  Provincrial  army.  Five 
thousand  troops  eame  over  with  hiiu  to  Hali- 
fax from  England,  the  year  before,  whom  he 
comuianded  in  this  expedition  against  Tieon- 
deroga.  When  he  met  his  melauv'holy  end, 
he  was  but  thirty-four  years  old.  The  (ien- 
eral  Court  of  Massachusetts  appropriated  two 
hundred  and  fifty  pounds,  or  about  twelve  hun- 
dred and  fifty  dollars,  to  secure  the  erection 
of  a  monument  to  his  memory  in  Westmin- 
ster Abbey.  His  remains  were  carried  to  Al- 
bany, where  they  were  buried  with  suitable 
honors.  His  coffin  was  opened  many  years 
afterwards,  and  it  was  found  that  his  hair  had 
grown  out  in  long  and  beautiful  locks. 

Gen.  Abercrombie  next  despatched  a  party 
to  make  observations  concerning  the  defences 
of  the  enemy  ;  and  an  engineer  who  went 
with  them  brought  back  word  that  the  works 
might  easily  be  carried,  as  they  were  not  yet 
finished.     Upon  this  the  English  army  marched 


if 


!i 


?(' 


i!^: 


!,l 


84 


GEN.   ISRAEL   PUTNAM. 


forward  once  more.  The  French  opened  a  gall- 
ing fir«  of  artillery  upon  them  from  behind 
thei;  bieastworks,  as  they  advanced,  but  they 
seemed  to  take  no  heed  of  it  whatever.  On 
they  rushed  in  the  face  of  the  enemy's  fire, 
resolved  to  carry  the  works  by  storm.  The 
abatis  presented  the  rrtost  fearful  obstacle  to 
them,  but  tlujy  cared  nothing  for  that.  They 
recklessly  dashed  on,  clambering  over  and  hew- 
ing their  way  through  the  jagged  limbs  of  the 
trees,  for  the  incredible  space  of  four  long 
hours.  A  few  did  succeed  in  finally  reach- 
ing the  pa^'ape',  —  but  they  fell  back  in  death 
the  instant  they  mounted  it.  The  English 
army  was  inown  down  in  the  most  cruel  and 
murderous  manner,  \7hile  it  was  unable  to 
do  any  execution  in  return.  Abercrombie  at 
length  saw  the  fatality  of  the  attempt  to  storm 
the  works,  and  withdrew  his  forces  hastily.  The 
French  did  not  pursue,  or  the  loss  must  have 
been  much  greater  even  thai'  it  was.  They 
re  .eated  in  safety  to  the  point  on  Lake  Goorge 
at  which  they  first  landed,  whence  the  wounded 
were  seni  under  escorts  to  Albany,  and  Fort 
Edward. 


,' '  t 


CAMPAIGN   OF   1758. 


85 


In  this  most  rash  and  inconsiderate  expedi- 
tion the  English  army  lost  two  thousand  men, 
and  twenty-five  hundred  stand  of  arms.  They 
rushed  like  brave  and  d&untless  heroes  into 
the  very  jaws  of  death,  but  it  was  the  height 
of  a  cruel  ignorance  thus  to  sacrifice  the  flower 
of  an  army  for  no  purpose  at  all.  Had  Ab- 
ercrombie  ordered  a  general  assault  on  the 
morning  after  the  bloody  skirmish  with  the  ad- 
vanced guard,  he  might  have  carried  the  then 
incomplete  intrenchments ;  but  he  delayed  un- 
til the  next  day,  and  by  that  time  the  French 
had  constructed  a  bristling  abatis  along  their 
entire  lines,  which  prevented  the  approach  of 
artillery,  or  even  of  infantry. 

Putnam  displayed  great  courage  at  all  times 
during  the  several  engagements  ;  and  in  the 
final  retreat,  acting  as  Aid,  in  place  of  the 
lamented  Howe,  to  General  Abercrombie,  he 
performed  most  efiicient  and  gallant  service. 
Gen.  Abercrombie  immediately  returned  to  Fort 
Edward,  hav  ig  Bccomplished  none  of  the  ob- 
jects for  whicn  ^.;is  most  costly  and  inglorious 
military  enterprise   had   been  undertaken.      His 

8 


:^..-^^^/V:..:v 


T 


III 


'I 


^11 


86 


GEN.  ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


inefficiency  as  a  commander  was  established  in 
the  eyes  of  every  man   in  the  army. 

It  was  during  this  summer  that  Putnam  per- 
formed his  daring  feat  of  dashing  down  the  mad 
rapids  of  the  Hudson  in  an  open  boat.  He 
was  near  Fort  Miller  at  the  time,  which  was 
situated  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Hudson. 
Learning  suddenly  that  a  party  of  Indians 
were  in  the  woods  behind  him,  he  bethought 
himself  of  what  he  should  do.  If  he  tried  to 
cross  the  river  at  that  point,  the  savages  would 
certainly  shoot  him  before  he  could  get  over; 
if  he  stayed  where  he  was,  his  doom  was 
sealed  without  any  doubt ;  and  if  he  trusted 
himself  in  his  light  skiff  to  the  boiling  rapids, 
he  could  hardly  expect  less  than  an  awful 
death  on  the  rocks  below.  But,  as  usual  with 
him,  his  resolution  was  quickly  taken.  He 
sprang  into  the  boat,  hastily  ordered  the  oars- 
men to  push  off  into  the  stream,  and  succeeded 
in  getting  beyond  the  reach  of  the  guns  of  the 
Indians  by  the  time  they  came  in  sight  upon 
the  shore. 

But  he  had  escaped  one  das'ger  only  to  plunge 
into  the  jaws  of  another.      In  a  few  moments 


CAMPAIGN   OP   1758. 


87 


they  were  within  the  whirl  and  roar  of  the 
rapids.  The  rocks,  jagged  and  sharp,  thrust 
themselves  out  of  the  water  on  this  side  and 
that.  The  over-laden  boat  was  lifted  up  and 
thrown  down  again  by  the  mad  force  of  the 
breakers.  Putnam  stood  like  a  statue  at  the 
helm,  however,  skilfully  guiding  her  through 
the  roaring  dangers,  while  the  savages,  struck 
dumb  with  astonishment  at  vhat  they  saw, 
only  looked  on  in  silence,  exchanging  not  even 
a  sign  with  one  another.  The  boat  went 
safely  through  the  foaming  waters,  and  es- 
caped all  the  perils  that  thrust  themselves  in 
her  rapid  way ;  and  in  a  few  seconds  shot  like 
a  silver  arrow  out  into  the  placid  bay  below. 
The  Indians,  from  this,  thought  Putnam  safe 
from  all  danger,  and  superstitiously  believed 
it  would  be  useless  to  fire  upon  him,  for  his 
life  was  "  charmed." 

In  August,  not  long  after  the  unfortunate 
march  to  Ticonderoga,  Putnam  was  sent,  with 
Major  Rogers,  to  overtake  a  party  of  the  enemy 
that  had  made  a  sudden  attack  on  one  of  their 
baggage  trt  ins,  and  carried  off  a  hirge  quantity 
of  valuable   stores.     They  pushed  f<jr\vard  with 


•X'\M  I 


i 

i 

f 

i 

'i 

88 


GEN.  ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


all  possible  haste  to  South  Bay,  a  part  of  Lake 
Chaniplain,  a»id  reached  the  spot  just  in  time  to 
see  the  Tugilives  embarking  in  thdr  boats.  Put- 
nam concluded  it  was  best  to  remain  in  the 
locality,  and  watch  the  eneny's  future  move- 
ments. Rogers  was  posted  at  South  Bay, 
while  Putnam  took  his  position  at  Wood 
Creek,  which  empties  into  Lake  Champlain, 
and  about  a  dozen  miles  distant.  Molang 
was  soon  in  the  vicinity  again,  the  foraging 
party  having  probably  carried  word  to  the 
army  above,  that  the  Americans  were  in  pur- 
suit ;  and  as  his  scouts  were  knov/n  to  the 
Americans  to  be  hanging  on  their  outposts,  it 
was  thought  most  prudent  for  Rogers  to  unite 
his  force  with  Putnam's  at  Wood  Creek,  and 
for  them  all  to  march  back  to  Fort  Edward  as 
soon  as  they  could.  This  they  proci?eded  to 
do  with  all  proper  despatch. 

As  they  were  advancing  through  the  donse 
thickets,  so  dense  that  th(;y  were  obliged  to 
thread  their  way  in  Indian  file,  Rogers  amused 
himself  one  morning  before  the  hour  for  march' 
ing  had  come,  with  firing  at  a  mark  with  a 
British  oflicer.     It  was  of  course  the  most  reck- 


CAMPAIGN   OF   1758. 


89 


less  mistake  that  could  have  been  made.  Mo- 
lang's  party  of  Indians  was  near  enougli  to 
hear  the  report,  and  the  wary  enemy  pushinl 
around  until  he  came  to  an  ambuscade  through 
which  tlie  retreatinii:  Provincials  would  have  to 
pass.  There  he  intended  to  take  his  bloody 
advantage. 

The  American  troops,  numbering  about  five 
hundred,  were  in  three  divisions  ;  the  first  was 
led  on  by  Major  Putnam  ;  Capt.  Dalzell  com- 
manded the  second ;  and  the  third  was  under 
Major  Rogers.  No  sooner  hnd  the  van  em- 
erged from  the  dense  thicket  through  which 
they  had  been  creeping,  upon  the  compara- 
tively open  plain,  than  the  savages  fell  upon 
them  with  surprising  fury.  They  had  been 
skilfully  posted  all  along  the  Avay,  and  from 
their  coverts  behind  the  tree-trunks  made  sure 
of  a  man  for  every  fire.  Rogers  behaved  in  a 
manner  that  was  at  the  time  thought  cowardly  ; 
but  Putnam  pressed  on  with  heated  resolution, 
and  ordered  Dalzell  to  hasten  forward  with  his 
divif5ion  to  his  relief. 

In  a  short  time  the  fight  became  a  desp'^rate 
one.     Now  it  was  hand  to  hand,  and  now  they 

8* 


90 


GEN.   ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


firod  at  ono  anothor  from  bcliind  the  protec- 
tii)ii  of  tli(»  forest  trrrs.  First  this  side  seemed 
to  prevail,  and  llien  lliat.  A  gii^antie  savage 
ap|)roaehed  Piitiiain  to  take;  his  life.  The  lat- 
ter snapped  his  fusee,  having  it  pressed  close 
against  the  Indian's  breast.  It  missed  fire,  and 
the  savage  sprang  njion  him  with  all  his  native 
feroeity,  and  instantly  made  him  a  prisoner. 
He  took  him  and  tied  him  securely  to  a  tree 
which  was  close  at  hand,  and  then  resumed 
his  hot  work  in  the  battle. 

The  conflict  went  on  with  redoubled  rage. 
Capt.  Dalzell  took  the  command,  and  pressed 
hard  upon  the  foe  at  one  time,  when  they  would 
recover  from  their  disadvantage  and  dash  against 
the  Provincials  with  increased  fury  and  mad- 
ness in  turn.  Putnam  was  bound  to  the  tree  all 
the  while,  and,  as  the  battle  went  on,  he  was 
several  times  j^aced  almost  in  the  centre  of 
the  fire  between  the  two  parties  !  His  clothes 
were  pierced  with  bullets,  but  he  was  himself 
providentially  unhurt.  When  once  the  Provin- 
cials were  driven  far  back,  and  he  found  him- 
self surrounded  by  the  enemy,  two  or  three 
young   savages   amused   themselves   by   hurling 


CAMPAIGN    OF   1758. 


91 


their  toinaliiiwks  at  tlu;  troo,  so  aa  to  just  ju^razc 
his  head.  Finally  a  cruel  I^Vcnclimau  presented 
liis  gun  to  Putnam's  breast,  intending  to  des- 
patch him  at  once;  l)ut  finding  it  would  not 
go  oil",  he  clubbed  it  and  dealt  him  a  blow 
upon  his  cluick,  and  left  him,  expecting  that  he 
had  made  an  end  .  i   him. 

TIk;  enemy  were  at  last  driven  back  by  the 
Provincials,  but  in  their  hasty  retreat  they  were 
careful  to  unbind  their  prisoner  and  (varry  him 
along  with  them.  He  was  weary  and  faint, 
weak  from  the  abuses  that  had  been  visited 
upon  him,  and  almost  broken  hearted  at  the 
thought  of  being  led  olf  through  the  wilderness 
into  captivity.  The  Indians  who  had  charge 
of  him,  tied  his  wrists  tightly  with  cords,  so 
that  they  were  badly  swollen  and  exceedingly 
painful.  They  even  strapped  heavy  burdens 
upon  his  back  besides.  lie  begged  them  to 
kill  him  outright,  and  put  him  out  of  his  suffer- 
ing at  once.  They  cx)m})elled  him  to  walk  over 
a  rough  and  hard  country,  with  nothing  at  all 
on  his  feet,  which  of  course  increased  Ihe  pain 
he  endured  indescribably.  But  after  a  time 
his   savage   captor   came    u]3,   and   gave   him  a 


i  ' 


m 


mr^ 


!!  II 


Itil 


,     !1 


I 


92 


GEN.   ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


pair  of  moccasins  for  his  feet,  besides  removing 
the  cruel  burden  from  his  shoulders. 

Had  this  chief  continued  with  him  on  the 
journey,  it  would  have  been  better  for  the  un- 
fortunate prisoner.  But  as  he  was  compelled 
to  go  back  to  look  after  the  wounded,  some 
two  hundred  Indians  went  on  with  their  cap- 
tive, and  soon  came  into  what  seemed  the  very 
heart  of  the  wilderness.  Here  they  stopped, 
and  held  a  consultation.  It  was  resolved  at 
length  to  take  their  prisoner  and  roast  him  to 
death  by  a  slow  fire !  Such  fiendish  torture 
was  exactly  suited  to  their  savage  instincts. 
Accordingly  they  stripped  him  of  his  clothes, 
bound  him  to  a  tree,  and  piled  faggots  and 
brushwood  in  a  circle  around  him.  He  looked 
on  in  courageous  silence,  and  prepared  his 
thoughts  for  the  end  that  seemed  near  at  hand. 
His  tormentors  began  to  yell  and  dance  around 
him.  The  fire  was  kindled,  and  the  flames  be- 
gan slowly  to  creep  up  towards  him.  The 
savages  screamed  in  wild  aelight.  The  fire 
grew  hotter  and  hotter,  and  the  suffering 
victim,  writhing  and  twisting,  turned  h'm- 
Belf  from  side  to  side.     The  first  time  the  fire 


CAMPAIGN   OF   1758. 


98 


was  kindled,  a  suddon  fall  of  rain  quenched  it ; 
but  after  the  second  trial,  it  burnt  with  great  rap- 
idity. The  more  he  writhed  in  his  speechless 
agony,  the  louder  the  savages  yelled  in  their 
wild  deligb^,  and  the  more  frantic  became 
their  motions  in  their  barbaric  dances.  He 
fixed  his  thoughts  on  the  loved  ones  at  home, 
and  made  ready  to  die  whenever  the  last  mo- 
ment should  come. 

Suddenly  a  French  ofTicer  came  dashing  up 
through  the  crowd,  kicked  away  the  burning 
faggots  and  branches,  cut  the  thongs  by  which 
he  was  tied  to  the  tree,  and  released  him.  It 
was  Molang  himself.  He  had  heard  of  these 
inhuman  barbarities  of  the  Indians  towards  their 
distinguished  captive,  and  hastened  on  to  save 
him  from  the  fate  which  he  knew  awaited  him. 
Had  he  come  a  fc^^^  minutes  later,  it  would 
probably  have  been  all  over  with.  He  pas- 
sionately upbraided  the  Indians  for  their  cru- 
elty, and  took  the  prisoner  under  his  own 
charge  for  the  rest  of  the  journey. 

Putnam  suffered  excessively  all  the  way  to 
Tieonderoga,  although  he  was  treated  with 
kindness  and  courtesy.     When  he  reached  that 


94 


GEN.    ISRAEL   PUTNAM. 


fortress,  he  was  prcsfMited  a  prisoner  to  tlie 
Manjuis  Monteairn,  ilie  French  commander,  by 
whom  he  was  soon  after  sent  under  a  pr()j)er 
escort  to  Montreal.  Col.  Peter  Scliuyler  was 
a  prisoner  there,  with  others  at  the  time,  and 
he  paid  Putnam  great  attention  and  civility. 
It  was  through  his  influence  that  he  was  fin- 
ally exchanged  for  a  French  prisoner,  captured 
by  Col.  Bradstreet  at  the  assault  on  Fronte- 
iiac,  now  Kingston,  in  upper  Canada.  In  Mon- 
treal, too.  Major  Putnam  became  acquainted 
with  the  lovely  prisoner,  Mrs.  Howe,  whom  he 
escorted  back  in  safety  to  her  friends  in  New 
England.  His  final  release  was  hailed  with 
joy  by  his  numerous  friends  throughout  the 
combined  English  and  Provincial  army.  They 
had  never  expected  to  see  him  alive  again. 


Hi 


CHAPTER     V. 


END    OP  THE   FRENCH  WAR. 


ip 


THE  campaign  of  1759  opened  new  pros- 
pects to  the  English  arms  on  this  continent. 
Then  for  the  first  time  the  ministry  saw 
that  they  had  a  chance  to  make  up  for  their  past 
reverses,  and  it  gave  them  hope  and  courage 
accordingly. 

During  this  year,  Major  Putnam  was  promoted 
to  the  rank  of  Lieutenant  Colonel;  a  rank  which 
no  one  will  dispute  he  had  richly  earned  with 
his  patriotic  and  self-denying  services.  The 
ministry  recalled  Abercrombie,  on  account  of 
his  manifest  inefriciency,  and  placed  in  his  stead, 
General  Amherst,  a  man  in  every  respect  his 
superior,  and  well  worthy  of  the  high  confidence 
that  was  reposed  in   him. 

During  this  year  General  Wolfe  fell  on  the 
Plains  of  Abraham,  before  Quebec,  in  the  midst 


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96 


GEN.    ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


'^^ 


of  victory.  It  was  a  brilliant  victory  gained, 
but  it  cost  the  army  and  England  dearly.  Wolfe 
was  a  commander  who  could  be  illy  spared  from 
any  army.  In  one  sense,  he  threw  his  life  away 
in  carrying  forward  this  daring  assault  upon 
Quebec,  since  he  felt  that  the  ministry  were 
already  dissatisfied  with  one  shortcoming  of 
which  he  was  guilty,  and  he  now  wished  to 
prove  to  them  that  they  had  not  placed  their 
confidence  in   him  to  no  purpose. 

Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point  likewise  fell 
before  the  approach  of  Gen.  Amherst,  who  had 
but  to  make  his  appearance  before  those  most 
important  posts,  in  order  to  insure  their  ready 
surrender  and  evacuation.  The  commander  at 
Ticonderoga  saw  very  soon  that  he  had  some 
one  else  than  Abercrombie,  of  the  year  before,  to 
deal  with,  and  capitulated  without  offering  to 
strike  a  blow. 

Putnam  accompanied  Amherst  in  his  expedi- 
tion during  this  year  both  to  Ticonderoga  and 
Crown  Point;  and  his  services  were  not  a  whit 
behind  what  they  had  been  heretofore  for  prompt- 
ness and  general  value.  He  had  as  much  to  do, 
personally,  as  any  other  individual,  in  strengthen- 


'■\  I 


END   OF  THE  FRENCH   WAR. 


97 


ing  the  works  about  Crown  Point ;  and  superin- 
tended them  with  liis  customary  vigilance  and 
skill. 

In  1760  tlie  English  ministry  .sent  word  over 
that  they  wished  Amherst  to  strike  one  vigorous 
and  final  blow,  and  so  reduce  the  Cunadas 
altogether.  Amherst  then^fore  projected  his  fa- 
mous expedition  against  Montreal,  which  was 
now  the  only  other  important  post  to  which 
attention  remained  to  be  directed,  lie  divided 
the  army  into  three  parts;  one  started  for  Quebec, 
und( :  i:  .  Tvlurray,  who  was  at  the  head  of  the 
force  before  commanded  by  the  lamented  Wolfe ; 
a  second  moved  forward  from  Crown  Point,  by 
way  of  Isle-Aux-Noix,  under  the  command  of 
Col.  Haviland ;  and  the  third  was  put  in  motion 
by  Gen.  Amherst  himself,  who  passed  up  the 
Mohawk  Valley,  and  thence  to  Oswego,  at  which 
place  a  force  of  a  thousand  IiK^ians,  under  Sir 
William  Johnson,  was  added,  making  some  t^leven 
thousand  in  all.  Lieut.  Col.  Putnam  went  with 
the  Commander-in-Chief 

The  plan  was,  to  have  all  their  forces  arrive 
before  Montreal  upon  the  same  day,  if  possible. 
Amherst  embarked  on  Lakti  Ontario,  captured  a 


98 


GEN.    ISRAEL   PUTNAM. 


fort  on  his  way,  and  happened  to  arrive  before 
Montreal  on  the  very  same  day  on  vv^hieh  Gen. 
Murray  reached  that  point  from  Quebec.  It 
was  a  happy  coincidence.  What  was  still  more 
fortunate,  Col.  Haviland  came  up  with  his  Crown 
Point  troops  on  the  very  next  day !  The  con- 
certed design  s^  far  certainly  worked  admirably. 

The  Marquis  de  Vaudreuil  was  in  command 
at  Montreal,  and  he  had  prepared  himself  to 
withstand,  as  he  thought,  any  assault  that  might 
be  made  upon  the  city.  But  as  soon  as  he  saw 
the  vastly  superior  army  that  had  suddenly  made 
its  appearance  against  him,  and  from  three  ditfer- 
ent  quarters  at  the  same  time,  he  determined  to 
offer  terms  of  capitulation.  They  were  accepted 
without  any  delay,  or  any  bloodshed,  and 
Montreal  became  the  possession  of  the  English. 
From  that  day,  of  course,  the  Canadas  passed 
into  other  hands.  It  was  the  crowning  act  of  all 
the  rest.  After  so  many  trials  and  reverses,  it 
had  resulted  gloriously  for  the  English  arms 
at  the  last. 

It  was  while  Lieut.  Col.  Putnam  was  passing 
up  with  Gen.  Amherst  to  the  attack  on  Montreal, 
that  he  performed  the  feat  that  is  recorded  of  him 


'  1^ 


END   OF  THE  I'RENCII  WAR. 


99 


If 

fa 


at  the  fort  on  Isl(>  Royal.  It  was  necessary  for  Am- 
herst to  caj)ture  this  fort,  since  it  would  not  l)e 
safe  to  leave  such  a  fortress  in  the  hands  of  the 
enemy  behind  him.  The  fort  was  named  Oswe- 
gatchie,  and  was  built  on  the  island  at  the  en- 
trance of  the  river  of  the  same  name.  Two 
armed  vessels  faithfully  guarded  the  entrance, 
and  likewise  swejit  the  whole  stream.  Unless 
ihese  were  put  out  of  the  way,  Andicrst  could 
not  hope  to  proceed. 

While  the  General  was  pondering  on  the  way 
in  which  he  could  get  out  of  his  dilemma, 
Putnam  proposed  to  go  and  take  the  vessels 
himself.  "  How  ? "  asked  his  surprised  com- 
mander. "With  a  beetle  and  wedges,"  answered 
the  courageous  Pitnam.  The  General  knew 
what  a  character  Putnam  had  proved  himself  to 
be  before,  and  gave  him  authority  to  go  ahead, 
though  he  did  not  believe  that  anything  would 
come  of  it.  Putnam  took  a  few  men  with  him 
in  a  boat,  and  after  nightfall  started  olf  in  the 
silence  and  darkness.  Getting  under  the  vessels^ 
sterns  unperceived,  he  drove  the  wedges  in  on 
each  side  of  their  rudders,  aiid  thus  prevented 
their  obeying  the  will  of  any  pilot  on  deck.     Both 


100 


GEN.   ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


'Ml 


ii 


i. 

•: 

1^ 

1 » ■     1 

|i 

Si' 

1'  ' 

1 

H 

;l 

^h 

i 

|jt 

Ihc  vesPi'Is  were  driven  ashore  by  the  wind,  being 
heij)less  in  the  hands  of  their  eornmanders,  and 
strnck  at  oiiee  to  the  summons  of  the  Enghsh 
OiFicers,  who  were  ready  to  meet  them  as  soon 
as  their  erews  landed.  This  incident  has  been 
very  strongly  denied  l)y  many,  yet  there  is  enough 
foundation  for  it  in  fact  to  make  it  worth  telling. 
In  the  year  1762,  England  foimd  herself  con- 
siderably shorn  of  her  sirength,  and  coalitions 
between  some  of  the  other  nations  of  the  con- 
tinent were  apparently  forming  against  her. 
Spain  was  quite  ready  to  co-operate  with  France 
in  her  endeavor  to  regain  what  she  had  thus  far 
lost  in  America.  The  colonies  were  required  to 
furnish  still  more  men  in  order  to  meet  this  new 
movement.  In  February,  1762,  the  French  islajid, 
Martinique,  one  of  the  West  Indies,  was  captured 
by  the  British.  The  Caiibbees,  too,  were  all 
taken  by  the  same  power.  And  finally  o  large 
naval  force,  consisting  of  nearly  forty  vessels, 
and  counting  ten  thousand  men,  were  sent 
against  Havana.  They  succeeded  in  landing 
upon  the  island  of  Cuba,  but  could  not  make 
any  headway.  A  pestilence  broke  out  among 
the  troops,  to  whom  the  tropical  climate  wa.s  en- 


END    OF  THE   FRENCH   WAR. 


101 


tircly    nnsuitod,    and    in    less   than    two    months 
more  than  lialf  of  their  number  were  swept  oil". 

Reinforcements,  however,  came  along  in  good 
time  from  the  colonies,  consisting  of  over  two 
thousand  men  in  all,  of  whom  Connecticut  alone 
furnished  one  thousand  under  command  of  Gvn. 
Lyman.  He  having  afterwards  been  apjHiinted 
commander  of  the  entire  Provincial  force,  Lieut. 
Col.  Putnam  accordingly  took  command  of  the 
Connecticut  regiment.  They  experienced  very 
severe  weather  on  their  way  to  Cuba,  and  the 
ship-load  under  Putnam  was  fmally  wreckc^d 
off  the  coast.  Putnam  dis})layed  all  liis  cus- 
tomary coolness  daring  the  gale,  giving  orders 
to  the  men,  and  preserving  strict  discipline 
througliout  the  fearful  scene.  The  men  con- 
structed rafts,  which  were  launched  and  sent 
ashore  successfully.  Hy  the  aid  of  the  line  thus 
secured  to  the  land,  the  rafts  were  kept  going 
and  coming  to  and  from  the  ship,  and  all  the 
troops  were  at  length  landed  in  safety.  Put- 
nam constructed  fortifications  for  his  camp,  nnd 
waited  until  the  slorm  siibsided,  when  the 
troops  re-embarked,  and  in  a  few  days  arrivt^d 
at  Havana. 


9' 


H: 


§ 


102 


GEN.  ISRAEL   PUTNAM. 


I 

i 

i  J 


The  harbor  of  this  famous  ocean  city  is  de- 
fended by  tw(*  forts ;  on  the  east,  the  Moro, 
and  on  the  west,  the  Punto.  The  British  com- 
mander, Albemarle,  besieged  the  former  with 
nearly  fifteen  thousand  men.  The  siege  was 
protracted,  and  put  the  soldiers  to  their  high- 
est endurance.  After  overcoming  many  and 
fearful  obstacles,  they  succeeded  in  effecting  a 
h)dgement  in  a  certain  part  of  the  fortress,  when 
they  sprung  a  mine  prciviously  prepared  and 
threw  down  enough  of  the  masonry  to  give 
them  a  chance  to  enter.  The  work  of  storming 
was  then  carried  forward  with  vigor  and  success. 
About  five  hundred  of  the  surprised  Spanish 
garrison  were  killed,  and  the  remnant  were 
forced  to  beg  for  quarter,  which  of  course  was 
granted.  Having  thas  obtained  possession  of 
this  fortress,  which  had  hitherto  been  deemed 
impregnable,  the  British  were  able  to  command 
the  city,  against  which  they  accordingly  pointed 
their  cannon.  The  governor  general  refused  to 
surrender,  whereupon  Lord  Albemarle  opened 
a  fire  upon  the  town.  This  speedily  brought 
his  Excellency  to  terms.  lie  offered  to  accept 
such  terms  of  capitulation  as  the  British  might 


J   » 


END  OF  THE  FRENCH  WAR. 


103 


see  fit  to  propose.  The  harbor  iind  city  of 
Havana,  together  wilh  about  a  quarter  of 
the  whole  island  of  Cuba  thus  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  British,  whose  arms  were  after- 
wards properly  re^;pected  by  the  powers  that 
had  dared  to  combine  against  them.  From 
this  day,  peace  began  to  assume  a  permanejit 
character  on  this  continent,  for  which  the  ha- 
rassed colonies,  that  had  all  the  whili^  been  he- 
roically fighting  the  battles  of  the  mother  coun- 
try, were  not  the  least  grateful. 

It  was  now  a  century  and  a  half  that  this 
struggle  had  been  going  on  between  France 
and  England  for  the  mastery  of  this  continent. 
It  had  finally  been  decided  in  favor  of  the 
latter  power  ;  and  it  was  now  expected  that 
France  would  acquiesce,  and  that  war  would 
come  Iv/  an  end.  The  Indians  were  not  sup- 
posed to  be  interested  in  continuing  the  war- 
fare, since  neither  nation  would  be  likely  any 
longer  to  require  their  services.  Yet  this  opin- 
ion proved  to  be  a  mistaken  one.  They  had 
a  yearning  desire  to  regain  the  lands  they  had 
lost  to  the  white  race,  and  so  made  a  final 
stand   for  that   purpose.      The  colonial   govern- 


■ 


104 


GLN.   ISRA£L  PUTNAM. 


orH  held  repeated  confcrciutcs  with  somo  of  Ihc 
Iiidiaii  chicO,  and  Iricd  to  pacify  them  by  as- 
suriiii^  tlicrri  of  their  friendship  ;  but  the  red 
men  did  not  like  the;  looks  of  the  forts  with 
which  the  English  were  encircling  their  terri- 
tories. Accordingly  several  of  the  tribes  con- 
certed to  make  a  vigorous  attack  upon  their 
common  enemy,  and  did  succeed  in  surprising 
and  capturing  a  number  of  their  forts  ;  some 
of  them  of  great  importance.  At  the  head  of 
this  warlike  movement  was  the  well-known  In- 
dian chief,  Pontiac. 

Under  his  lead,  the  savages  intended  to  ex- 
tend tlieir  power  along  the  line  of  the  great 
lakes,  gradually  surrounding  the  English  and 
hemming  them  in.  Amherst  thereupon  hast- 
ened to  concentrate  his  forces  at  the  several 
forts  on  the  frontier,  and  made  ready  to  rej)el 
them.  Captain  Dalzell  made  his  way  through 
the  forest  to  the  fort  at  Detroit,  which  was  al- 
ready surroundei  by  the  Indians;  after  whichj 
he  sallied  fort  aii^ain  and  gave  them  battle,  in 
the  €»arly  gray  of  the  morning.  In  his  gener- 
ous   and    brave    endeavor   to  rescue   one   of  his 


:>  I 


END   OF  THE   FRENCH   WAR. 


m 


woniult'd  oHicers,  ho  was  sliot  by  the  enemy, 
and  they  both  fell  dead  together. 

The  next  year,  Col.  Pntnaiii  went  to  the  fron- 
tier with  a  Conneclieut  regiment,  whieh  eon- 
sisted  of  four  hundred  men.  In  this  expedi- 
tion, also,  went  Brant,  the  famous  Indian 
partisan.  The  savages  still  surrounded  De- 
troit, preventing  the  garrisoji  from  moving  out 
at  all,  by  which  means  they  had  become  sadly 
reduced  in  provisions  and  energy.  A  little 
schooner  had  been  sent  with  a  load  of  pro- 
visions to  their  relief,  which  was  attacked 
fiercely  by  the  Indians,  but  had  managed  by 
good  luck  to  escape.  With  the  timely  help 
thus  offered,  the  commander  was  able  to  hold 
out  until  reinforcements  arrived.  As  soon  as 
the  savages  were  assured  that  these  latter  were 
approaching,  they  began  to  disperse  through  the 
forest,  afraid  to  risk  a  battle.  In  the  course  of 
the  same  season,  too,  a  permanent  peace  was 
finally  made  with  them,  and  thus  the  terrors 
of  war  ceased  over  the  land. 

Col.  Putnam  wrote  a  letter  from  the  frontier 
to  a  friend  in  Norwich,  Connecticut, —  Major 
Drake,  —  setting   forth    the   condition   of  affairs 


_ffi 


lOG 


GEN.    ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


11 


■'j  ■ 


at  the  time  in  the  camp.  It  is  ex(MHurm«^ly 
iiiti^rcstiiif;,  and  contains  a  lively  record  of  the 
transactions  in  his  locality.  It  'vas  published 
in  the  Boston   (iazette,  in  December,  17G4. 

The  wars  having  hapj)ily  come  to  an  end, 
and  all  rumors  of  wars  having  ceased  through- 
out the  land,  Col.  Putnam  found  himself  once 
more  settled  peacefully  upon  his  Connecticut 
farm,  rejoiced  to  return  to  those  pleasanter  pur- 
suits that  are  especially  delightful  to  men  tired  of 
the  profession  of  arms.  He  had  been  an  active 
soldier  for  ten  years.  lie  had  lo  knowledge 
of  military  science,  or  strategy,  when  he  be- 
gan, but  when  he  returned  again  to  the  peace- 
ful pursuits  of  agriculture,  he  was  in  possession 
of  an  experience  that  was  worlh  all  the  strictly 
technical  discipline  in  the  world.  In  fact,  he  had 
thus  imperceptibly  been  training  for  that  other 
and  wider  field  on  which  he  appeared  to  such 
advantage,  and  whereon  he  achieved  such  deeds 
of  high  renown,  —  the  battle-field  of  the  Amer- 
ican  Revolution. 

What  he  had  learned  by  this  rough  and  rug- 
ged experience  of  the  seven  years'  war,  was  all 
his    own.      It    was   worth    everything,   both    to 


m 


lllii':::: 


END    OP  THE   FRENCH   WAR. 


107 


himself  and  his  country.  It  was  around  such 
a  man  that  liis  fellow  citizens  would  b('  likely 
to  rally  in  an  emergency  lik(;  that  which  ^irose 
a  little  more  than  imi  years  afterwards.  lie 
fcould  inspire  them  by  his  ardor,  and  enjhusiasm, 
and  patriotic  purpose,  —  and  he  could  also  hold 
them  together  in  solid  and  resistless  masses,  by 
the  naked  power  of  his  character,  his  cxam])le, 
and  his  will. 

He  had  not  been  home  long,  when  his  wife 
sickened  and  died.  It  was  a  terrible  blow  for 
him,  and  the  grief  that  grew  out  of  it  gnawed 
sorely  at  his  manly  heart.  She  was  the  wife 
of  his  youth.  They  .lad  lived  together  as  man 
and  wife  for  a  quarter  of  a  century.  It  was  a 
cruel  snapping  asunder,  therefore,  of  the  tender- 
est  ties  that  can  hold  two  human  souls  to- 
gether. 


CHAPTER    VI. 


OPENING    OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 

IT  is  to  be  supposed,  at  this  day,  that  every 
one  who  can  read  understands  the  causes 
that  led  the  American  people  to  take  up 
arms  against  the  mother  country.  They  had 
sacrificed  everything  for  the  sake  of  preserving 
her  honor;  they  had  generously  fought  her 
battles  ;  her  name  and  renown  were  as  dear  to 
them  as  it  could  be  to  a  son  of  England  born :  — 
but  the  same  spirit  that  made  them  such  devoied 
sons,  rendered  it  likewise  impossible  for  them  to 
be  craven  suppliants,  begging  for  favors. 

King  George  the  Third  was  possessed  of  an 
idea  that  the  American  colonies  were  chiefly 
useful  to  his  throne  for  the  revenues  which  they 
could  be  made  to  pay  into  the  royal  treasury. 
Both  liimself  and  his  successive  cabinets  enter- 
tained   that   mistaken    idea,    and     attempted    to 


OPENIXa    OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


109 


practise  upon  it  in  administering  the  government 
for  their  foreign  eoionies.  And  out  of  this  very 
mistake  grew  tin;  American  Revohilion.  It  began 
witli  a  feeling  of  dissatisfaction  at  first;  then 
followed  protests;  nt^xt,  lalk  of  outright  refusal 
to  do  what  was  connnanded  ;  then  the  refusal 
itself,  which  was  rebellion;  and  finally  tin;  great 
and  simultaneous  mov(Mnent  assumed  tin;  digni- 
fied form  and  character  of  a  Revolution.  This 
same  American  Revolution  marks  one  of  the 
brightest  and  most  hallowed  spots  on  the  page 
of  History. 

In  the  first  place,  the  British  ministry  had 
caused  to  be  issued  what  were  styled  Writs  of 
Assistance,  which  were  ordered  for  the  purpose 
of  hunting  up  and  seizing  wherever  found,  any 
articles  that  had  been  smuifTii^led  into  the  coloiiies 
from  on  ship-board,  without  paying  the  tax  im- 
posed on  them.  Several  of  the  eloquent  and 
bold  orators  of  the  day,  including  such  men  as 
Otis  and  Adams,  fiercely  denounced  the  high- 
handed measure,  and  counselled  pul)lic  disobe- 
dience of  the  order.  As  a  necessary  result,  such 
goods  as  were  found  to  have  been  brought  into 
the    colonies   without    having    paid    the    regular 

10 


I 


i 


A> 


run 


I 


hm 


w 


110 


GEN.   ISRAEL   I'UTXAM. 


ft  t ' 


nH 


I 


duties,  were  at  once  seized,  wherever  found,  and 
sold;  which  would  be  likely  rather  to  add  to  the 
flame  of  public  feeling  already  burning,  than  to 
assist  in  allaying  its  fervent  heat. 

It  wa3  Grenville  who  fust  laid  the  plan  to 
directly  tax  the  American  colonies,  who  was  at 
the  time  King  George's  prime  minister.  Every- 
where the  proposition  was  met  with  the  most 
indignant  denunciations.  But  all  this  seemed 
to  make  no  difference.  Inasmuch  as  the  people 
of  America  had  determined  that  it  was  both 
odious  and  wrong  that  they  should  be  taxed  for 
the  benefit  of  the  mother  country,  the  ministry 
determined  in  their  blind  obstinacy  that  they 
should  be  taxed  all  the  sooner  for  having  dared 
to  express  their  opinions.  It  was  a  matter  of 
will,  from  the  beginning.  The  English  govern- 
ment meant  to  rule  the  people  of  the  colonies 
by  the  mere  strength  of  its  will.  But  after  many 
long  years,  and  a  weary  struggle  against  obstacles 
whose  force  the  world  will  never  fully  understand, 
that  imperious  will  was  humbled  and  broken. 
The  people  triumpiied,  as,  with  the  right  on  their 
side,  they  ever  must  prevail. 

The  passage  of  the   Stamp   Act,  in  the  year 


III 


OPENING    OF  THE   REVOLUTION. 


Ill 


1765,  brought  the  matter  to  something  like  a 
head.  As  soon  as  the  news  was  received  in  this 
country,  the  excitement  and  indignation  knew 
no  bounds.  The  citizens  of  Boston  and  Phila- 
delphia- causca  the  bells  to  be  tolled,  in  token  of 
their  grief.  The  people  of  New  York  marched 
in  procession  through  the  streets,  bearing  a  copy 
of  the  odious  Act,  with  the  representation  of  a 
death's  head  attached  to  it,  before  them,  to  which 
they  appended  Ihe  motto — "  The  Folly  of  Eng- 
lanu,  and  the  Ruin  of  America."  The  stamped 
papers  that  were  sent  over,  were  seized  and 
destroyed  ;  and  the  agents  of  the  government, 
who  were  appointed  to  execute  the  law,  were 
forced  to  throw  up  their  offices. 

Col.  Putnam  entered  into  the  general  spirit  of 
resistance  to  such  tyrannical  exactions,  with  all 
the  ardor  of  his  warm  and  honest  nature.  He 
was  active  ir  stirring  up  his  fellow  citizens  on  all 
sides  to  resistance.  He  likewise  forwarded,  by 
every  means  in  his  power,  the  plans  that  were 
formed  among  the  colonies  for  harmony  of  action 
in  this  most  important  matter. 
I  Mr.  Ingersoll  had  been  appointed  the  stamp 
master  for  Connecticut ;  and  Putnam,  with  others, 


I;,    '    *1 


m. 


\0 


i 


Jtel 


4 


112 


GEN.   ISRAEL   PUTXAM. 


was  (Ictermiiird  not  to  let  him  enter  upon  the 
duties  of  his  ofFice.  The  committee  who  waited 
upon  him,  requested  him  to  resign  ;  but  as  he  did 
not  answer  tiiem  with  a  Yes  or  a  No,  they  pro- 
ceeded to  take  steps  to  make  liim  comply  with 
their  wishes.  Putnam  was  an  active  adviser  in 
the  entire  movement.  lie  had  recently  been  laid 
up  by  an  accident  himself,  but  he  gave  particular 
directions  how  to  proceed.  A  body  oi"  men  were 
collected  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  colony,  who 
marched  to  Hartford,  where  they  were  told  that 
Mr.  Ingersoll  would  be  present  on  the  following 
day.  He  was  reported  to  be  then  on  his  way 
from  New  Haven.  Instantly  the  party  started 
ofl'  to  meet  him  by  the  way.  They  came  upon 
him  at  Wethersfield,  where  th(iy  made  him  sign 
his  own  resignation,  and  certify  likewise  that  he 
did  so  "  q/"  his  oivn  free  ivill  and  accord^  and 
without  any  equivocation  or  mental  reservation." 
They  then  stood  him  on  a  table,  compelled  him 
to  read  aloud  the  paper  he  had  just  signed,  and 
afterwards  to  shout  three  times  —  "  Liberty  and 
Property!"  The  crowd  resj)onded  with  due 
heartiness,  honored  him  with  a  public  dinner, 
and   then    escorted    hin?   in    safety   to    Hartford, 


OPENING   OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


113 


where  he  pubhcly  read  his  resignation  a  second 
time,  to  the  delight  and  satisfaction  of  everybody 
who  had  turned  out  to  hear  it.  There  was  not 
the  least  hard  feeling  over  it,  but  the  whole  trans- 
action was  relished  as  a  capital  joke, —  which  it 
certainly  was;  besides  being,  likewise,  a  deter- 
mined piece  of  business. 

Col.  Putnam  subsequently  had  a  personal 
interview  with  the  colonial  Governor  respecting 
the  impossibility  of  enforcing  so  hateful  an  act 
of  parliament,  which  was  perfectly  characteristic 
of  the  intrepid  temper  of  the  man.  The  Governor 
asked  Putnam  what  he  should  do  with  the  stamp- 
ed paper,  if  it  should  be  entrusted  to  him  by  the 
King's  authority.  "  Lock  it  up,"  answered  Put- 
nam, "  and  give  us  the  key."  His  excellency  wish- 
ed to  know  what  next.  "We  will  send  you  the 
key  safely  again,"  said  Putnam.  "  But  if  I  should 
refuse  you  admission  to  the  room  where  it  is 
kept?"  asked  the  Governor.  "  Then  we  shall  tear 
down  your  house  for  you  !  "  replied  the  determined 
hero  of  the  seven  years'  war.  The  story  of  this 
interview  of  Putnam  with  the  Governor  got 
abroad,  and  no  stamped  paper  was  ever  sent  into 
the  Connecticut  colony.     So  loud  were  the  pro- 

10* 


i:  .  I 


l*j 


t  I 


114 


OEN.   ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


tests,  and  so  open  was  the  defiance  exhibited  on 
the  part  of  the  colonists,  that  the  ministry  finally 
concluded  to  leview  their  former  determination, 
and  the  Siamp  Act  was  accordingly  annulled. 
As  soon  as  the  welcome  news  reached  this  coun- 
try, the  change  in  the  public  feeling  was  too 
marked  not  to  be  heeded  with  thoughtful  care  by 
the  ministry-  Thanksgivings  and  rejoicings  were 
offered  on  every  side.  Gladness  beamed  from 
every  countenance.  The  talk  of  the  people  was 
now  of  their  renewed  afl'ection  for  England  and 
the  King,  and  the  general  heart  settled  down  into 
the  calm  joy  that  attends  upon  peace. 

Trade  instantly  revived,  and  prosperity  reigned. 
So  violent  a  storm  was  succeeded  by  so  placid  a 
calm,  that  it  makes  one  happy  even  at  this 
distant  day  to  contemplate  it.  Col.  Putnam 
resumed  his  usual  occupations  on  his  farm  again, 
and  in  their  pursuit  reaped  the  rich  rewards  that 
attend  upon  intelligent  and  contented  lauor.  He 
met  with  one  or  two  quite  severe  accidents, 
during  this  season  of  peace,  from  which  he  never 
wholly  recovered.  It  was  at  this  time,  too,  that 
he  added  the  calling  of  inn-keeper  to  that  of  a 
farmer,  and  gave  public  notice  that  he  was  ready 


OPENING    OF  THE   REVOLUTION. 


115 


to  accommodate  the  travelling  public  in  the  most 
faithful  way  lie  knew  how;  and  a  very  popular 
host  he  proved  himself,  too.  Peoj)le  were  fond 
of  partaking  of  the  generous  cheer  with  which  he 
always  made  their  coming  welcome.  lie  hung 
out  his  sign  from  one  of  the  elm  trees  before  his 
door,  upon  which  was  represented  General 
Wolfe  —  the  youthful  hero  of  Quebec  —  in  mil- 
itary uniform,  w'lih  his  right  arm  pointing  at 
something  in  the  distance,  and  a  most  earnest 
and  enthusiastic  expression  upon  his  face-  This 
sign  is  now  in  the  possession  of  the  Historical 
Society  of  Connecticut,  at  their  rooms  in  Hart- 
ford. The  iron  staples  are  still  to  be  seen,  driven 
into  the  old  tree  that  waves  its  green  crown, 
every  summer,  before  the  place  where  stood  his 
hospitable  mansion. 

Gen.  Lyman,  the  old  commander  of  Putnam, 
went  to  England  about  these  times,  to  draw  the 
prize  money  that  belonged  to  the  men  who  served 
under  him  in  the  expedition  against  Havana. 
After  many  years'  vexatious  delay,  he  finally 
succeeded  in  procuring  the  amount  due  them, 
and  returned  home.  A  few  of  the  oflicers  had  it 
in  their  minds  to  take  their  money  and  purchase 


\  t 


III 


lil 


•^1 


IIG 


GEN.   ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


L.iaj; 


a  tract  of  land  west  of  the  Mississippi.  Putnam 
accordingly  joined  the  party,  and  started  off  into 
the  wilderness  to  locate  his  j)nreliase  with  the  rest. 
They  sailed  to  the  site  upon  which  New  Orleans 
now  stands,  pushed  up  the  Mississippi,  laid  out 
the  boundaries  of  tlieir  new  colony,  and  returned 
home  again  to  take  the  necessary  steps  to  send 
forward  emigrants.  General  Lyman  did  return 
to  the  place  the  next  year,  and  founded  a  settle- 
ment where  Natchez  stands  to-day.  Here  he 
passed  the  remainder  of  his  days.  Putnam  sent 
forward  meti  for  a  time  in  his  stead,  and  furnish- 
ed them  with  means  to  bring  his  own  portion  of 
the  lands  speedily  under  cultivation.  But  other 
work  w^as  in  inunediate  reserve  for  him,  than 
that  of  leading  forth  a  young  colony  to  the  banks 
of  the  father  of  waters.  Events  were  thickening, 
and  causes  were  ripening,  and  every  sign  gave 
promise  that  some  great  epoch  in  history  waa 
close  at  hand. 

Although  it  could  be  urged  that  the  odious 
Stamp  Act  had  been  repealed,  yet  the  British 
Parliament  passed  a  declaratory  act,  to  the  effect 
that  the  mother  country  had  tlie  riglit  to  tax  the 
colonies,   which   right   she    should    exercise  just 


OPENING   OF   TUB  REVOLUTION. 


117 


when  she  saw  proper.  Mr.  Pitt  was  laid  up 
with  the  gout  at  his  country  seat,  and  Mr. 
Townshend,  who  was  chancellor  of  the  Exchequer 
in  his  absence,  brought  forward  a  bill  to  levy 
duties  on  paper,  glass,  painters'  colors,  and  teas. 
He  also  proposed  a  measure  which  aimed  to 
appoint  boards  of  trade  in  the  different  colonies, 
entirely  independent  of  the  colonial  legislatures  ; 
which  was  as  offensive  as  any  measure  of  the 
sort  well  could  be. 

To  these  plans  the  people  of  America  showed 
as  much  resistance  as  ever.  They  began  to  get 
ready  to  oppose  them,  if  the  necessity  finally 
came,  with  force  itself.  The  men  of  experience, 
therefore,  like  Col.  Putnam,  took  great  interest 
in  organizing  and  drilling  bands  of  young  men, 
feeling  that  the  time  was  not  far  off  when  sol- 
diers would  be  chiefly  needed.  This  was  in  the 
year  1767.  The  orators  and  leading  men  exerted 
all  their  influence  to  arouse  the  people  to  a  true 
sense  of  their  degradation  and  wrongs.  Associ- 
ations were  formed  all  over  the  country,  to  further 
the  plans  of  resistance.  The  people  refused  to 
have  any  intercourse  whatever  with  the  mother 
country.     The   ladies   denied   themselves   every- 


11 

1 

iff 

»■■ 

,'  ' 


\;'  %  i: 


118 


GEN.  ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


thing  like  foreign  luxuries  and  exerted  themselves 
to  make  up  elothing  with  their  own  hands  for 
their  sons,  husbands,  and  fathers.  A  spirit  of 
opposition  pervaded  all  classes  of  society.  Even 
tea  was  interdicted,  by  general  agreement,  from 
the  table,  because  the  women  would  not  drink 
what  would  help  establish  the  power  of  England. 
The  excitement  grew  greater  every  day.  The 
crisis  was  approaching.  One  thought  seemed  to 
control  the  public  mind, —  one  resolve  fired  the 
popular  heart 

The  British  government  of  course  began  now 
to  bear  down  all  the  harder.  They  stationed 
soldiers  in  the  halls  where  the  colonial  legisla- 
tures met,  in  order  to  break  up  their  sittings. 
But  these  bodies  immediately  assembled  in 
other  places,  with  still  stronger  determination 
to  resist  the  tyranny  of  the  mother  country. 
The  troops  goaded  the  colonists  almost  beyond 
endurance.  At  last  an  outbreak  did  occur  in 
King  street  in  Boston,  —  now  State  street, — on 
the  5th  of  March,  1770 ;  when  the  soldiery  fired 
upon  the  citizens,  and  killed  several ;  the  first 
person  who  fell  was  a  stout  mulatto  fellow  at 
the  head  of  a  party  of  sailors,  whose  name  was 


OPENING   OP  THE   REVOLUTION. 


119 


'i 


Crispus  Attucks.  Two  others  were  killed  on 
the  spot,  and  two  more  died  a  few  days  after- 
ward. There  had  been  trouble  brewing  for  some 
time  between  the  town  people  and  the  soldiers, 
and  on  the  evening  of  the  day  jnst  mentioned 
the  lir.st  outbreak  occurred.  Early  the  next 
morning,  Faneuil  Ilall  was  crowded  with  ex- 
cited citizens,  who  determined  that  every  for- 
eign soldier  should  be  withdrawn  immediately 
from  Boston.  No  men  were  more  bold  in  their 
denunciations  of  the  soldiery  than  James  Otis 
and  Samuel  Adams.  This  event  occurred  on 
Friday  night ;  the  citizens  met  at  Faneuil  Hall 
on  Saturday  morning  ;  and  on  the  Monday 
following  the  troops  were  withdrawn  and  sent 
to  Castle  William,  in  the  harbor,  and  the  city 
became  composed  and  quiet  again.  There  were 
most  imposing  ceremonies  at  the  burial  of  the 
victims  of  this  sudden  fight,  and  the  "  Boston 
Massacre"  was  a  bloody  story  that  served  to 
stir  still  more  deeply  the  hearts  of  the  people  to 
open  resistance. 

General  Gage  was  the  Royal  Governor  of 
Massachusetts  Province  at  this  time,  and  was 
well  known  to  Putnam  during  the  French  and 


Si 


m 


■ii 


«:■■ 


'ii 


* 


II 


120 


GEN.    ISRAEL   PUTNAM. 


Indian  war.  TIktc  won;  others  also  in  Bostoiv 
whom  he  had  intiinulcly  known  by  means  of 
tlie  same  eornpanionsliip.  I[(;  was  frecjuenfly 
then;  al)out  these  dnys,  and  during  i\\v.  pn-va 
lence  of  the  troubles  that  ushered  in  the  llc^vo- 
hition.  His  voicro  was  heard  on  ail  important 
oceasions,  not  more  by  his  own  eountrymen 
than  by  the  British  ollicers  with  whom  he  had 
before  been  a  companion  in  arms.  He  openly 
counselled  one  party  to  resistance,  and  the  other 
he  expostulated  with  to  no  purpose.  The  Brit- 
ish ollicers  asked  him  on  which  side  he  should 
be  found,  in  case  it  should  come  to  open  war. 
"I  shall  be  found  on  the  side  of  my  country  al- 


ways 


!  » 


was    his    prompt   and    spirited   reply. 


They  inquired  of  him  again,  how  large  an  army 
it  would  take  to  con(|uer  the  country;  in  other 
words,  if  five  thousand  soldiers  could  not  march 
the  length  and  breadth  of  it,  and  not  be  troubled 
by  the  inhabitants  ?  "  If  they  behaved  them- 
selves, they  could,"  was  his  answer ;  "  but  if 
they  did  not,  and  no  men  were  at  hand,  tho 
American  women  would  drive  them  out  of 
the  country  with  broomsticks  !  " 

As  the  difficulties  increased,  and  less  and  less 


OPENINQ    OP  THE   REVOLUTION. 


121 


grew  tho  probiibilitics  tliiit  there  rould  for  a 
inurli  longer  tiiru;  he  k^'pt  up  even  the  appear 
anco  of  peace  with  the  mother  country,  com* 
niittees  of  vigilance  were  organized  in  the  dif' 
ferent  colonies,  whose  duty  it  was  to  hoK? 
fre(|uent  correspondence  each  with  the  other, 
acquaint  tlu;  dillcrent  secttions  of  tht^  country 
with  what  was  going  on,  and  perfect  such 
schemes  for  resistance  as  might  finally  be  of 
the  greatest  service;.  Col.  Putnam  was  very 
eflicient  upon  one  of  these  committees  in  Con- 
necticut, and  kept  the  people  thoroughly  ap' 
prised  of  what  was  going  forwa.d.  Besides 
this,  he  gave  much  time  to  organizing  the  men 
about  him  into  companies,  and  to  drilling  them 
to  the  stern  service  which  was  so  soon  to  be 
required  at  their  hands.  On  one  occasion,  in 
September,  1774,  he  was  the  means  of  creating 
a  false  alarm,  which  called  out  the  people  all 
along  the  line  between  New  York  and  Boston, 
so  that  the  roads  were  covered.  The  story  was, 
that  blood  had  been  shed  in  Boston  by  the  British 
troops,  and  every  heart  beat  warmly  to  avenge 
the   public   wrongs.      It   is   said   that  as   many 

as     thirty    or    forty    thousand     men    flew    in- 

11 


in 


-!  r 


t 


122 


GEN.  ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


stantly  to  amis,  believing  that  the  British  were 
firing  upon  the  town  of  Boston.  Gen.  Gage 
saw  what  an  excitement  the  rumor  had  cre- 
ated, and  knew  from  this  the  temper  of  the 
colonists  ;  and  therefore  concluded  to  fortify 
himself  in  his  position  without  further  delay. 
The  moment  this  alarm  was  given,  Col.  Put- 
nam mounted  his  horse  and  started  off  for 
Boston  ;  but  being  met  on  the  way  by  a  cap- 
tain of  militia,  he  learned  that  the  whole  story 
was  false,  and  turned  about  and  rode  home 
again,  reaching  his  house  at  sunrise  on  Sun- 
day morning.  The  rumor  grew  out  of  the 
British  force  having  silently  sailed  up  the  Mys- 
tic river  during  the  night,  and  carried  oh  all 
the  powder  that  was  stored  in  the  arsenal  at 
Charlestown. 

When  the  conflict  with  the  power  of  Eng- 
land finally  came  on,  it  was  not  even  then 
supposed  by  the  colonists  that  it  would  in- 
volve their  total  separation  from  the  mother 
country  ;  indeed,  they  had  not  once  seriously 
thought  of  such  a  result,  except  to  deplore  it. 
They  merely  resolved  to  resist,  perhaps  believ- 
ing that  England  would  in  time  relent  in  her 


OPENING   OF   THE  REVOLUTION. 


123 


tyrannical   demands,    and    gho   them    enduring 
peace     and     prosperity.       Still,    let    the    conse- 
quences   be   what    they    might,    they   would    at 
least  resist.     And  while   showing  such   a   spirit, 
the  King  resolved  that  they  should  be  forced  into 
submission.     It  is   not  at  all  likely  that  British 
statesmen  generally  knew  or  cared  much  about 
the   feelings   of  the  people  of  this  country ;    nor 
did    the   King,  or   his   ministers,    know  or   care 
any   more.       The    whole    plan    was    to    extort 
money    enough   from    the   North   American    col- 
onies to   assist   in  defraying   the    enormous  ex- 
penses  of  the    British    Government.      The   de- 
bates  in   Parliament   on   the    state    of  America 
were  very    meagre,    showing    that    scarcely  any 
interest   was   taken   in   the   question,   that   was 
at    all    commensurate    with    its    great    import- 
ance. 

Troops  were  quartered  wherever  the  British 
power  thought  their  presence  necessary.  The 
difficulties  began  in  Boston.  Gen.  Gage  hav- 
ing occupied  the  town  with  his  soldiers,  and 
broken  up  the  Assembly  of  Massachusetts,  it 
met  elsewhere,  and  styled  itself  a  Provincial 
Congress.       Committees    of    Safety    were    ap- 


'ii 


i 


i 


rm  f 


124 


GEN.   ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


in 


la;  1 


pointed,  and  it  was  instantly  voted  to  raise 
an  army  of  twelve  thousand  men.  Minute 
men  were  also  enrolled,  to  be  ready  to  march 
at  a  moment's  warning.  Arms  and  ammuni- 
tion were  secured  as  rapidly  as  circumstances 
would  allow.  While  affairs  were  in  this  sit- 
uation, Gen.  Gage  despatched  an  expedition 
of  eight  hundred  men  to  Concord,  twenty  miles 
from  Boston,  to  destroy  the  ammunition  and 
stores  that  were  known  to  be  there  collected. 
This  was  the  night  of  the  18th  of  April,  1775. 
He  was  very  secret  in  his  operations,  yet  not 
so  secret  as  to  elude  the  vigilance  of  the  col- 
onists, who  were  so  closely  watching  him.  Mes- 
sages were  despatched  to  points  all  along  the 
route  they  would  be  likely  to  take,  directing 
that  measures  should  be  instantly  taken  to  op- 
pose them. 

When  the  British,  who  were  commanded  by 
Col.  Smith  and  Major  Pitcairn,  reached  Lex- 
ington, which  is  about  half-way  between  Bos- 
ton and  Concord,  it  was  just  day-dawn  on  the 
191  h.  They  were  of  course  very  much  aston- 
ished to  find  a  handfull  of  Americans  —  seventy 
in  all  —  drawn  up  on  the   green  to  offer  them 


OPENING    OF  THE   REVOLUTION. 


125 


resistance.  Major  Pitcairn  rode  up  before  them 
and  called  out  in  a  tone  of  authority,  thinking 
to  intimidate  them,  —  "Disperse,  you  rebels! 
Throw  down  your  arms,  and  disperse  !  "  But 
they  paid  no  heed  to  his  order  ;  whereupon  he 
discharged  his  own  pistol,  and  ordered  his  troops 
to  fire  into  them.  His  order  was  instantly 
obeyed,  and  four  of  the  Americans  fell  dead. 
The  remainder  rapidly  scattered,  of  whom  three 
more  were  slain  in  climbing  over  the  fences. 
But  they  did  not  flee.  They  were  joined  by 
others,  and  very  soon  large  bodies  of  militia 
were  gathered  in  the  vicinity,  determined  on 
making  further  resistance.  The  British  force  hur- 
ried on  to  Concord,  captured  a  portion  of  the 
stores  they  found  there,  and  retreated  again 
as  fast  as  they  could,  knowing  that  the  whole 
country  round  was  getting  thoroughly  excited 
against  them.  They  had  a  slight  skirmish  at 
Concord,  during  which  two  of  the  American 
and  three  of  the  British  soldiers  were  killed,  and 
several  more  were  wounded.  It  was  at  the 
old  North  bridge,  and  the  spot  is  now  pointed 
out  to  travellers  where  two  of  the  lliree  Brit- 
ish   soldiers    were    slain,    and    where    they    still 

11* 


U 


f" 


1 


■#fi  «! 


126 


GEN.   ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


lie.  They  succeeded  in  destroying  a  consider- 
able amount  of  stores,  and  broke  open  sixty 
barrels  of  flour,  of  which  they  took  pains  to 
waste  as  much  as  they  could.  They  likewise 
cut  down  the  liberty-pole  in  the  town,  and  set 
the  court-house  on  fire  ;  but  a  lady  put  out  the 
fire  before  much  damage  had  been  done. 

Meantime  the  militia  were  collecting  as  fast 
as  they  could  from  all  the  towns  around.  So 
that  when  the  British  set  out  on  their  march 
back  to  Boston,  they  found  themselves  haras- 
sed in  every  conceivable  way.  From  behind 
walls,  and  trees,  and  fences,  and  whatever  other 
concealments  offered,  the  Americans  poured  in 
a  steady  and  well  directed  fire  upon  them,  which 
was  terribly  galling  anJ  destructive.  The  road- 
sides seemed  to  belch  fire  at  their  retreating 
and  rapidly  thinning  ranks.  Every  tree  con- 
cealed a  musk'^t.  They  could  not  see  their  en- 
emy so  as  to  t  ike  aim  at  them,  and  were  there- 
fore placed  PC  every  possible  disadvantage.  So 
rapid  was  the  increase  of  the  Americans,  and 
so  closely  did  they  follow  up  the  retreating 
body  of  the  British,  that  Col.  Smith  resolved 
to   get   back   to  Boston   now  with    all   possible 


OPENING   OP  THE   REVOLUTION. 


127 


despatch.  At  Lexington  there  was  another 
severe  skirmish,  and  so  tired  and  jaded  were 
the  British,  they  thought  they  would  be  obliged 
to  surrender. 

Fortunately  for  them,  however,  an  express 
had  been  sent  back  to  Gen.  Gage  in  Boston, 
as  soon  as  the  British  commander  arrived  at 
Lexington  in  the  morning,  acquainting  him 
with  the  astonishing  fact  that  the  whole  coun- 
try was  already  in  arms.  So  that  when  they 
reached  Lexington  again  on  their  return  from 
Concord,  they  were  sav.ed  from  surrender,  or  to- 
tal destruction,  only  by  the  timely  coming  up  of 
the  nine  hundred  men  whom  Gen.  Gage  had 
sent  forward  in  such  hot  haste.  This  detach- 
ment, which  was  commanded  by  Lord  Percy, 
met  the  fatigued  British  about  half  a  mile  be- 
yond Lexington.  It  was  between  two  and 
three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  As  soon  as 
they  had  formed  a  hollow  square  and  received 
the  retreating  troops  within  its  protecting  lines, 
the  latter  fell  down  upon  the  ground  from  sheer 
exhaustion,  panting  and  lolling  theii  tongues 
out  of  their  open  mouths.  After  resting  and 
refreshing    themselves,   both    parties   started   on 


K  'f 


128 


GEN.   ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


again  for  Boston.  They  went  out  of  their 
way  to  destroy,  by  burning,  two  houses,  two 
shops,  and  a  barn,  in  Lexington,  and  then 
pushed  on.  But  the  Provincials  had  been  fast 
gathering,  each  man  fighting  for  himself,  and 
getting  ready  to  pour  in  their  fire  again  as 
soon  as  the  British  should  resume  their  march. 
Pitcairn's  horse  was  shot  under  him,  and  his 
pistols  he  was  forced  to  leave  behind  in  their 
holsters.  They  afterwards  came  into  Gen.  Put- 
nam's possession.  Their  loss  was  very  severe, 
all  the  way.  At  West  Cambridge  they  had 
another  skirmish  with  the  Americans,  in  which 
Dr.  Joseph  Warren,  afterwards  Gen.  Warren, 
came  near  being  shot;  the  ball  knocking  the 
pin  out  of  an  ear-curl  in  his  hair.  The  Brit- 
ish sacked,  pillaged,  and  murdered,  all  along 
their  bloody  route  to  Boston.  They  came  near 
being  cut  oft'  entirely  by  reinforcements  of  the 
militia  before  they  could  reach  Charlestown  ; 
but  they  at  last  succeeded  in  securing  their 
safety.  They  camped  on  Bunker  Hill  that 
night,  and  on  the  next  day  went  over  to  Bos- 
ton, considerably  broken  in  spirits,  and  convinced 


OPENINQ    OF  TUIS   UEVOLUTION. 


129 


that  an  army  of  British  could  not  march  through 
the  country  unmolested. 

On  that  19th  of  April,  1775,  the  British  lost 
in  all  two  hundred  and  seventy-three  men,  of 
whom  sixty  were  slain  ;  the  Provincials  lost 
one  hundred  and  three,  of  whom  fifty-nine  were 
killed.  It  was  not  a  great  fight  in  itself,  but 
it  was  great  and  even  grand  in  its  consequences. 
On  that  day  a  Nation  was  born.  Then  the 
freemen  of  America  learned,  for  the  first  time, 
how  to  stand  and  fight  for  their  own  liberties. 
An  authentic  statement  of  these  occurrences 
was  drawn  up  by  the  American  Committee, 
and  despatched  by  a  vessel  from  Salem  direct 
to  London.  The  latter  city  was  soon  in  as  wild 
an  excitement,  almost,  as  Boston  was  at  the 
same  moment.  The  ministry  were  openly  taunt- 
ed in  the  streets,  and  told  that  "  the  great  British 
army  at  Boston  bad  been  beaten  by  ^Jlock  of 
Yankees  !  " 

The  news  of  the  battles  of  this  memorable 
day  flew  on  the  wings  of  the  wind  through  the 
length  and  breadth  of  the  country.  A  man  came 
riding  through  the  quiet  town  of  Pomfret  on 
horse-back,  bearing  a  drum  about  his  neck,  and 


* 


I 


I'ti  > 

li 


I 
I 


ill- 


11 


;l; 


130 


GEN.   ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


beating  it  and  calling  out  to  all  whom  he  met, 
—  "To  arms!  To  arms!  the  first  blood  has  been 
shed  at  Lexington  !  "  Putnam  was  plough- 
ing in  the  field,  at  some  distance  back  from 
his  house,  at  the  time,  and  Capt.  Hubbard 
was  also  at  work  in  the  next  lot.  As  soon 
as  they  found  what  was  the  cause  for  the 
alarm,  they  set  out  for  the  place  where  their 
services  would  be  most  likely  to  be  wanted. 
Hubbard  walked  home,  got  ready  his  military 
accoutrements,  and  started  off  for  Boston  in  his 
own  systematic  and  moderate  way.  Putnam 
had  his  little  son  with  him  in  the  field.  He  at 
once  unyoked  his  oxen  and  took  them  out  of 
the  furrow  they  were  ploughing,  sent  word  to 
his  wife  by  the  boy  where  he  had  gone,  took  his 
fastest  horse  from  his  barn,  and  rode  away  at 
such  a  pace  as  we  shojld  have  expected  from 
a  man  of  his  well-known  character. 

On  the  21st  he  was  at  Cambridge,  where 
he  attended  a  council  of  war  that  was  suddenly 
called  to  provide  for  the  emergency.  By  that 
time,  there  vere  at  least  twenty  thousand  Amer- 
ican troops  gathered  around  Boston.  It  was 
resolved  to  fortify  all  the  entrances  to  the  town 


OPENING    OF  THE  REVOLUTION. 


ICl 


' 


.V 


without  delay,  and  to  watch  the  movements 
of  the  British  very  closely.  Putnam  was  sent 
for  by  the  Connecticut  Legislature,  which  was 
then  in  session  at  Hartford,  to  confer  with  them. 
He  hastened  back,  therefore,  for  that  purpose. 
A  regiment  of  troops  was  at  once  organized, 
and  Putnam  put  at  their  head,  with  the  title 
of  Brigadier  General.  He  hurried  back  to  Cam- 
bridge, having  been  absent  only  a  week.  Sev- 
eral who  served  with  him  in  the  French  war, 
now  joined  their  services  with  his  again  in  the 
struggle  for  independence. 

Gen.  Ward  was  commander-general  of  all  the 
forces,  though  such  an  old  and  tried  soldier  as 
Putnam  was  looked  up  to  with  great  respect 
and  confidence  by  the  whole  body  of  the  hastily 
collected  militia.  It  is  proved  that  these  two 
generals  for  a  brief  time  divided  the  responsi- 
bility between  them  as  they  best  could.  Ward, 
too,  had  served  along  w^ith  Putnam  at  the  un- 
fortunate storming  of  Ticonderoga,  under  Gen. 
Abercrombie  ;  and  thus  strangely  were  they 
brought  together  again.  The  •  British  ofTicers 
did  the  best  they  could  to  bribe  over  the  lead- 
ing Americans.      To   Putnam    they  offered   the 


.*  1' 


r 


132 


GEN.   ISRAEL   PUTNAM. 


I 


t  I 


rank  of  Major  CJonrral  in  tlio  British  army,  a 
larti^e  sum  of  moiioy,  and  gcnorous  provision 
for  his  boy.s  in  tlio  future.  Jiut  liis  lioncst 
spirit  spurned  all  thoir  offers.  lie  was  not 
poor  enough  to  consent  to  takf*  bribes  against 
the  liberties  of  his  own  countrymen. 

Gage  olVered  to  let  the  Americans,  who  were 
still  living  in  Boston,  depart  on  condition  they 
would  give  up  their  arms  ;  but  as  soon  as  they 
had  complied  with  his  terms,  he  refused  to 
keep  his  word.  This  only  exasperat(»d  the  mi- 
litia so  much  the  more.  It  was  resolved  now 
to  erect  a  line  of  fortifications  all  around  Bos- 
ton, stretching  from  Dorchester  Heights  to  Chel- 
sea, a  distance  of  about  twelve  miles.  into 
this  work  Gen.  Putnam  threw  himself  with 
all  his  usual  energy.  He  had  become  well  ad- 
vanced in  years  by  this  time,  but  his  heart 
beat  as  quick  as  that  of  many  men  not  half 
as  old  as  he.  The  intrench ments  were  all 
thrown  up,  and  every  care  taken  neither  to 
allow  a  British  soldier  to  pass  throuj^h  them 
from  out  of  Boston,  nor  any  supplies  to  be  car- 
ried in.  They  therefore  held  the  British  in  the 
town  in  a  regular  state  of  siege. 


'/ 


I 


'  > 


OPENING   OF  TlIK   Uli VOLUTION. 


i;m 


'■ 


I 


Put  nam  sent  a  party  of  tinrty  mumi,  oil  tlio 
27tli  of  May,  over  from  Chelsea  to  llo^  Island, 
to  raptures  wliat  live  stock  was  tlier<',  that,  it 
might  not  be  of  serviet;  to  tin;  Hritish  for  food. 
The  water  was  not  deep,  and  the  men  all  waded 
over,  and  began  to  drive  oil'  the  eatth'.  A  party 
of  marines  wen^  statione<l  there,  howt^ver,  and 
a  fight  of  eourse  ensued  with  them.  A  schooner 
was  at  once  sent  from  the  (leet  in  the  harbor, 
to  help  repel  the  bold  AiiK^rican  militia.  Hut 
the  party  nianaged  to  securt;  their  prize,  and  re- 
treated in  good  order  and  with  safety.  l*ntnaui 
afterwards  joined  th(Mn  with  a  larger  force,  and 
after  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening  tlu^y  brought 
a  single  cannon  to  bear  on  the  schooner,  coui- 
pletely  disabling  her,  so  that  sIk;  drifted  on 
shore  ;  and  at  day-break  they  took  whatever 
there  was  valuabh;  on  board  of  her,  and,  after 
placing  hay  under  her  stern,  set  her  on  fire.  The 
British  were  deeply  chagrined  to  see  one  of 
their  vess(;ls  thus  captured  and  burncjd  by  a  lit- 
tle force  on  the  land,  but  they  were  unable  to 
help  themselves.  By  this  single  maiKcuvre,  the 
Americans  carried  away  many  hundred  sheep 
and  cattle. 

12 


Ifil 


III 

1:;. 


f 


V 


1^'     .' 


r 


134 


GEN.   ISRAEL   PUTNAM. 


On  tlio  Glh  of  Juno,  it  was  agreed  that  an 
exchange  of  j)riaonerH  shonlcl  be  effected  be- 
tween the  two  armies,  (ien.  Putnam  and  Dr. 
Warren  acted  on  behalf  of  the  Americans,  and 
received  the  British  party  at  Charlestown  at 
about  noon.  They  marched  under  escort  to 
the  ferry,  and  u|)on  a  signal  being  given,  Major 
Small  and  Major  Moncrief,  together  with  their 
prisoners,  landed  from  the  British  vessel.  Put- 
nam had  served  with  these  British  olFieers  in 
the  French  and  Indian  war.  They  had  not 
met  since  those  former  days  of  hardshij3  and 
intimacy.  The  moment  they  landed,  therefore, 
they  forgot  all  else,  and  rushed  into  one  an- 
other s  open  arms.  They  embraced  and  kissed 
each  other,  while  the  people  stood  around  and 
wondered  what  so  strange  a  spectacle  could 
mean.  They  afterwards  passed  an  hour  or 
two  in  social  converse,  at  the  house  of  a  gen- 
tleman near  by,  and  at  nightfall  separated  to 
meet  again  in  hostile  array,  oidy  ten  days  later, 
on  the  heights  of  Bunker  Hill !  So  fierce  is 
war,  and  so  relentless  is  it  in  its  demands. 


f 


» 


CHAPTER    VII. 


M 


BATTLE   OF   BUNKER  HILL. 

IT  became  necessary  now  for  the  Americans 
to  fortify  Dorchester  and  Charlestown 
Heights,  inasmuch  as  it  had  been  given 
out  that  the  British  general  had  resolved  to  do 
it  himself.  They  could  gain  a  great  advantage, 
if  they  could  by  their  celerity  get  the  start  of 
them.  The  enemy  evidently  meant  to  strengthen 
their  position  by  occupying  Charlestown  Heights, 
from  which  they  could  easily  make  an  irruption 
into  the  surrounding  country. 

A  council  of  war  wah  therefore  held  at  Cam- 
bridge, at  which  it  was  finally  decided,  though 
all  were  not  in  favor  of  the  plan,  to  march  over 
to  Charlestown  by  night  and  hastily  throw  up  a 
fortification.  Putnam  favored  the  design  with 
all  his  influence  and  arguments.  He  urged,  in 
the  first  place,  that  it  would  astonish  the  enemy 


w  m." ,  i  I 


: 


m 


13G 


GEN.   ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


-I 


to  find  themselves  thus  unex],2ctedly  outwitted ; 
and,  in  the  next  place,  that  even  if  it  brought  on 
an  engagement,  a  battle  would  be  the  best  pos- 
sible thing  for  the  militia  that  were  then  collected. 
They  would  rapidly  learn  discipline  under  fire, 
and  their  ranks  would  close  up  with  true  military 
compactness  from  that  day  forward. 

It  was  objected  to  this  proposal,  that  there 
were  then  but  sixty-seven  barrels  of  powder  to 
the  whole  army  ;  and  that  it  would  be  hardly  less 
than  insanity  to  bring  on  a  general  engagement, 
with  such  a  trifling  amount  of  ammunition. 
But  Putnam  pleaded  to  have  the  experiment 
tried.  He  feared  nothing  for  the  result.  lie 
knew  very  well  that  the  Americans  were  all  good 
marksmen,  and  that  every  soldier  could  kill  his 
man.  Gen.  Warren  tried  to  argue  him  out  of 
his  opinion;  but  Putnam  was  convinced,  for 
himself,  knowing  what  he  did  of  war  and  its 
results  to  an  undisciplined  force,  that  a  smart 
brush  with  the  enemy  would  lead  to  the  happiest 
consequences. 

Orders  were  therefore  given  by  Major  General 
"Ward, — who  was  the  commander  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts forces,  and  so  by  courtesy  of  the  whole 


J 


I 


BATTLE   OF   BUNKER  HILL. 


137 


I 


forces   that  were    assembled   around    Boston,— 
to  Col.  Prescott,  to  go  over  to   Charlcstowii  on 
the  night  of  t!ie  lOth  of  Juno,  and  throw  np  such 
hasty  intrenchments  as  would  defy  the  efforts  of 
the  British  army  to  dislodge  the  soldiers  within 
them.     A  thousand  men  were  placed  under  his 
command.       It    was     Friday    evening.       Before 
leaving,  that  night,  to   go  upon  their  hazardous 
errand,    they  gathered   on    the    common   in    the 
centre  of  the  town  of  Cambridge,  wliere  prayers 
were   offered   to   Heaven   on  their  behalf  by  the 
President  of  Harvard  College. 

Gen.  Putnam  undertook  the  supervision  of  tlie 
expedition,  although   the  work   to  be  done   was 
placed    directly  in   the    hands  of   Col.    Prescott. 
Whenever,  indeed,  this  immortal  battle  is  spoken 
of  by  the  people  of  this  country,  it  \vill  have  to 
be  admitted  that  these  two  men,  above  all  others, 
—  Putnam    and    Prescott,  —  began    and   carried 
forward    t.ie   work    which    on    that  day  was   so 
gloriously    done.       Putnam    had    a    yo,mg    son, 
named  Daniel,  who  was  in  the  camp  with  him 
as  a  volunteer.     He  told  the  boy  to  go  to  Mrs. 
Jnman's,  that   night,  which  was   the  farm-house 
where   his   quarters   were;    and   if  it   should  be 

12* 


m 


m 


1 


II 


':  >.  I 


'm 


138 


GEN.   ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


necessary  to  leave  on  the  next  day,  to  depart 
with  the  rest  without  waiting  for  iiim.  The  boy 
mistrusted  that  some  great  danger  impended 
over  his  father,  and  begged  to  be  permitted  to  go 
along  with  him.  "  You  can  do  nothing  where  I 
am  going,  my  son,"  said  the  brave  father.  "  There 
will  be  plenty  who  will  take  care  of  me." 

It  was  very  soon  after  dark  that  Prescott  began 
his  march  from  Cambridge  over  the  narrow  neck 
formed  by  the  Charles  and  Mystic  rivers, —  a 
passage-way  vvhich  was  only  about  a  hundred 
and  thirty  yards  across.  The  men  moved  on  in 
perfect  silence,  and  the  only  lights  they  had  to 
see  by  were  a  few  dark  lanterns,  which  threw  the 
light  backwards,  instead  of  forward.  Every 
possible  precaution  was  taken  against  discovery. 
Bunker  Hill  stands  nearest  the  neck,  and  is  a 
hundred  and  ten  feet  high.  Breed's  Hill  is  near 
the  southern  extremity  of  Charlestown  peninsula, 
and  only  sixty-two  feet  in  height.  The  distance 
between  these  two  hills,  on  their  summits,  is  one 
hundred  and  thirty  rods. 

The  troops  first  came  to  the  foot  of  Bunker 
Hill,  where  they  found  the  intrenching  tools  all 
ready  for  their   use,  having  been    already  sent 


BATTLE   OP  BUNKER  HILL. 


139 


over  in  wagons.  Until  Ihat  moment,  in  fact, 
none  but  the  leaders  ivnevv  for  what  purpose  the 
expedition  had  been  undertaken.  The  order  was 
to  fortify  Bunker  Hill ;  but  it  was  very  apparent 
that  it  would  be  of  little  use  to  do  that,  unless 
Breed's  Hill  were  fortified  also,  since  the  latter 
hill  most  immediately  commanded  the  town  of 
Boston.  The  leaders  consulted  what  it  was  best 
to  do.  Bunker  Hill  could  easily  be  reached  by 
the  guns  from  the  enemy's  ships  near  the  neck, 
and  could  not,  either,  effect  much  damage  to  them 
in  return.  It  was  at  length  resolved  to  disobey 
the  strict  letter  of  the  instructions,  and  to  fortify 
the  height  which  was  nearest  the  city.  Col. 
Gridley  undertook  the  engineering  part  of  the 
labor,  which  certainly  required  more  skill  than  all 
the  rest.  He  was  obliged  to  hasten  their  confer- 
ence several  times,  telling  them  that  the  night 
was  fast  slipping  away,  and  that  every  moment 
was  of  priceless  value. 

When  they  finally  reached  Breed's  Hill, — 
which  has,  ever  since  t!iat  day,  taken  the  im- 
mortal name  of  Bunker  Hill, —  Col.  Gridley  laid 
out  his  plans,  ran  his  quick  eye  over  the  ground, 
and  set  the  men  to  work  with  their  picks  and 


m 


140 


GEN.   ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


If  = 


I  fifip 


li 


!   f 


spades  with  all  their  energy.  It  was  already 
full  midnight  before  a  single  shovel-full  of  earth 
was  thrown  up.  Summer  time  as  it  was,  the 
nights  were  quite  short,  and  by  four  o'clock  in 
the  morning  it  would  be  day-break  again.  Hence 
there  were  but  four  short  hours  for  the  men  to  do 
their  work.  But  they  fell  to  with  wonderful 
alacrity  and  vigor,  stimulated  still  more  by 
the  examples  that  were  set  them  by  their  lead- 
ers. Prescott  knew  very  well  how  to  handle 
a  spado,  and  so  did  Putnam,  who  had  not  served 
for  seven  years  around  Lake  George  against  the 
French  and  Indians,  without  taking  such  an 
ijistrument  in  his  hands  very  frequently.  Never 
were  men  known  to  labor  more  eagerly  than 
did  these  men.  They  were  working  for  their 
very  lives,  and  that  they  knew.  They  had  taken 
only  rations  enough  with  them  to  last  for  one 
day,  and  hence  they  felt  obliged  to  throw  up 
protection  against  the  assaults  of  the  enemy  in 
Boston,  which  would  furnish  them  with  the  sur- 
est reliance. 

The  redoubt  was  constructed  upon  the  top 
of  the  hill,  and  was  eight  rods  square.  Its  south- 
ern side  fronted  the  village  of  Charlcstown,  and 


rlli 


BATTLE   OF   BUNKER  HILL. 


141 


was  most  strongly  fortified,  because  that  quarter 
was  thought  to  be  most  liable  to  the  enemy's 
attack.  Eastward  it  fronted  an  open  field, 
which  extended  down  to  Morton's  Point.  A 
breastwork  was  thrown  up,  as  if  it  were  a  con- 
tinuation of  this  eastern  side  of  the  redoubt, 
but  still  separated  from  it  by  a  narrow  pas- 
sage, which  was  screened  by  what  was  termed 
a  "blind"  in  front.  Another  passage,  or  gate- 
way, likewise  opened  from  the  rear  wall  of  the 
redoubt,  conducting  down  the  hill. 

The  oflicers  several  times  during  the  night 
stole  softly  down  to  the  water's  edge,  to  dis- 
cover if  the  enemy  had  been  alarmed  by  their 
operations  on  the  hill ;  they  could  hear  the  cry 
—  "  All's  well!"  passed  from  one  ship  to  another 
by  the  sentries,  over  the  still  surface  of  the  water. 
Finding  matters  going  on  so  well,  Gen.  Putnam 
hurried  back  during  the  night  to  Cambridge,  to 
make  the  needful  preparations  for  the  struggle 
which  he  too  well  knew  must  come  on  the  next 
day. 

Morning  dawned  slowly,  finding  the  men  still 
engaged  about  their  work  on  the  hill.  It  was 
a  still  day,  in    the  very  flush   and   pride  of  the 


mm\ 


«4 


142 


GEN.    ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


new  summer.  The  British  looked  upon  the 
heights,  and  were  filled  with  amazement.  In 
one  brief  night  a  work  had  been  done,  —  and 
done  so  silently,  too,  that  no  sonl  of  them  all 
had  eaught  a  sound  of  what  was  going  on, — 
which  compelled  the  British  army  either  to  eva- 
cuate Boston,  or  to  sally  out  and  offer  immediate 
battle.  They  had  not  given  the  raw  American 
militia  credit  for  so  much  energy  and  alacrity. 
Their  own  plans  were  by  this  single  act  com- 
pletely frustrated.  The  British  officers  held  a 
council  of  war  at  once,  and  determined  to  send 
a  body  of  regular  troops  over  to  the  hill  with 
all  possible  despatch,  to  dispossess  the  defiant 
Americans.  And  while  the  necessary  arrange- 
ments to  this  end  were  being  carried  forward, 
a  brisk  cannonading  was  opened  and  kept  up 
from  the  vessels  of  war,  and  from  Copp's  Hill, 
upon  the  workers  on  the  height. 

Putnam's  spirit  took  fire  with  the  first  sound 
of  the  hostile  cannon  in  the  morning.  He 
mounted  his  horse  forthwith,  and  rode  over 
the  neck  at  the  top  of  his  speed.  Prescott 
was  still  there  in  the  redoubt,  working  hard 
himself,   and   cheering    and    inspiring   the    men 


BATTLE   OP   BUNKER   HILL. 


143 


\ 


both  by  his  words  and  example.  They  could 
distinctly  sec  the  streets  of  Boston  from  the 
height,  and  descry  the  British  troops  forming 
and  marching,  and  making  ready  for  the  con- 
flict which  they  now  knew  was  at  hand.  The 
American  soldiers  were  pretty  thoroughly  wear- 
ied with  their  severe  and  uninterrupted  night's 
work,  and  some  of  the  officers  proposed  to  send 
to  Cambridge  for  reinforcements.  "  No,"  an- 
swered Prescott,  with  promptness ;  "  they  have 
thrown  up  the  works  themselves,  and  it  is  but 
fair  to  give  them  a  chance  to  defend  them." 
Such  talk  of  course  infused  a  new  ardor  and 
courage  into  their  ranks.  A  messenger  was, 
however,  sent  over  to  Cambridge  for  refresh- 
•^  ments. 

As  soon  as  Putnam  saw  what  was  certain 
to  come,  he  again  posted  off  to  Cambridge,  ask- 
ing Major  General  Ward  for  reinforcements, 
against  the  hour  of  need  ;  but  the  latter  refused 

to  forward  any,  not  yet  satisfied  that  it  was  not 
the  design  of  the  British  to  land  at  Lechmere's 
Point,  assail  the  camp  at  Cambridge,  and  so 
cut  off*  the  body  of  Americans  in  Charlestown 
altogether.      He  had   substantial  reasons  for  be- 


144 


GEN.   ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


lieving  this  to  be  their  leading  design.  Henc* 
he  refused  to  send  Putnam's  Connecticut  regi 
rnent  up  to  the  hill  at  all.  Putnam  therefor* 
had  his  attention  divided  between  Bunker  Hilj 
and  his  own  post  at  Inman's  Farm,  which  i\ 
was  equally  necessary  for  him  to  maintain. 

Not  until  he  was  finally  convinced  of  the  m> 
tention  of  the  enemy  to  attack  Charlestown 
heights,  did  he  concentrate  all  his  energies  on 
what  was  there  going  forward.  He  took  a  hand- 
ful of  men,  and  tried  to  throw  up  intrenchments 
on  Bunker  Hill,  where  they  had  paused  to  decide 
which  hill  should  be  fortified,  the  night  before. 
Could  this  have  been  done,  they  could  have  com- 
manded Breed's  Hill,  even  after  the  latter  had 
been  taken  by  the  enemy.  But  the  action  came 
on  so  soon  that  they  were  obliged  to  give  over 
their  design,  and  hasten  on  to  the  help  of  their 
friends  at  the  redoubt  on  Breed's  Hill. 

Between  twelve  and  one  o'clock,  with  a  burn- 
ing sun  high  in  the  heavens,  a  force  of  nearly 
three  thousand  of  the  best  men  of  the  British 
army  began  to  land  at  Morton's  Point,  in  twenty- 
eight  barges,  all  under  command  of  Gen.  Howe. 
They  halted  as  they   came   to  the    shore,  wait- 


s 


BATTLE   OF   BUNKER   HILL. 


145 


ing  to  rest  and  refresh  themselves,  and  to  be 
strengthened  by  the  detachments  as  fast  as  they 
could  be  brought  over.  Their  rich  uniforms  and 
well-kept  arms  glittered  and  flashed  in  the  bright 
sunlight,  and  created  a  most  imposing  appear- 
ance. It  was  soon  reported  in  Cambridge  that 
the  British  had  begun  to  land,  and  the  excite- 
ment \vas  truly  intense.  The  drums  beat,  the 
bells  were  tolled,  and  the  soldiers  were  instantly 
hurrying  in  every  direction.  It  was  nearly  two 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  —  and  Saturday,  too, — 
when  the  reinforcements  all  arrived,  making  the 
British  army  about  four  thousand  strong.  They 
were  all  regular  and  tried  troops,  that  had  seen 
.service  before  ;  on  the  contrary,  the  Americans 
were  but  raw  recruits,  and  looked  on  with  feel- 
ings of  doubt  as  to  the  result,  though  with  noth- 
ing like  fear.  The  latter,  too,  were  nearly  ex- 
hausted with  hunger  and  thirst ;  and  what  was 
worse,  they  began  to  en^^rtain  a  half  suspicion 
that  they  had  been  placed  in  their  present  posi- 
tion in  order  to  be  sacrificed. 

Putnam  took  the  general  command  outside  of 
the  redoubt,  overseeing  the  arrangements  of  ihe 

men^   and   taking  due   advantage  of  ail  favora- 

13 


n 


mm 


n 


,\i 


I  vJ  ■; 


ill 


n 


';U 


liG 


GEX.  ISRAEL   PUTNAM. 


blo  oircnmstanors.     Warron,  who  was  Prosidotit 
of  tlic  Provincial  CoiijL^rcss,  heard  of  the  landing 
of  th(^  British,  while  he  was  in  Watertown  ;  and 
sick  as  he  was,  hurried  off  to  take  a  part  in  the 
battle.       Brave  old   Col.   Poineroy,   too,  the  mo- 
ment he  caught  the  echoes  of  the  cannonading 
from    the    vessels   of  war,  in   the   forenoon,  bor- 
rowed a  horse  of  General  Ward  and  rode  down 
to   the    neck  ;    and  seeing  the  galling  fire   with 
which    it  was    raked    from    the    vessels,    he   dis- 
mounted and  deliberately  walked  the  whole  dis- 
tance  through   the  whizzing  balls,  unwilling  to 
risk  the  value  of  the  borrowed  animal,  but  car- 
ing  nothing   for   his    own    life.      "Warren   went 
on   the    hill,  and    offered    himself  to    Gen.    ]^ut- 
nam    as   a  common    soldier.      The    General   ex- 
postulated with  him,  begging  him  to  take  him- 
self   away    again,    for    his    services   were    more 
needed    in   another    place.     But   Warren    would 
hear   nothing  to   it.     Neither  would   he  consent 
to   assume    anything   like   command.     He   went 
into  the  redoubt  where  Prescott  was,  and  shoul- 
dered   his    musket   with    the    common    soldiers. 
Prescott  offered   to  transfer  all  authority  to  his 
hands,  but  the   latter  would   not  consent.      He 


6 


BATTLE   OP  BUNKJm  HILL. 


147 


wont  to  do  «inij)ly  a  soldier's  duly  on  tluit  im- 
portant, (lay. 

The  JJritisli  nriny  bo<^an  to  advance  witli  ^roat 
regularity  and  order.  Previous  to  this,  (ien. 
Howe  had  ord(*red  his  artillery  to  l)l'.iy  against 
the  Atneriean  lines,  and,  by  a  signal  already 
agreed  upon,  eaused  a  hot  (Ire  to  be  directtxl 
against  the  redoubt  from  th<^  guns  on  Copp's 
Hill  and  the  vessels  in  the  river.  Tlx?  Ameri- 
can guns  —  whieh  numbered  but  two  —  an- 
swered very  feebly  to  those  of  the  enemy;  and 
Callender  was  withdrawing  altogether  to  the 
cover  of  the  hill  with  them,  because,  as  he  said, 
his  cartridges  were  too  large.  Putnam  rode  up 
to  him  and  ordered  him  back  on  the  ground, 
threatening  otherwise  to  blow  out  his  brains  on 
the  spot.  He  and  his  men  returned,  but  they 
mingled  with  the  infantry,  feeling  eotifident  that 
they  could  not  manage  their  guns  to  any  eiVec- 
tive  purpose. 

Howe  divided  his  assaulting  force  into  two 
parts ;  the  one  commanded  by  himself  directed 
its  attack  against  the  rail-fence,  which  was  a 
hastily  constructed  defence,  made  of  new-mown 
hay  stuffed  in  between  two  parallel  fences,  and 


/ 


t » 


I  ■ 


i. 


1-18 


GEN.   ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


* 


tik  t 


f 


rimnini^  down  from  a  point  below  ilie  breast- 
Works,  and  in  tlu'ir  rrar,  to  near  the  slough 
which  bordered  Mystic.  riv(>r ;  —  Ihc  other  wing, 
under  (4cn.  Pigot,  was  to  attack  the  redoubt 
Howe's  artillery  did  not  serve  1  much,  on 
account  of  the  supply  of  balls  being  too  large 
for  the  pieces,  and  also  of  the  boggy  and  miry 
character  of  the  ground.  So  the  men  were 
obliged  to  rely  upon  the  arms  they  bore  in  their 
hands. 

Not  a  word  was  spoken,  apparently,  as  the 
splendid  army  of  Great  Britain  slowly  toiled 
up  the  hill  in  the  hot  sun.  The  Ameri{;ans  kept 
out  of  sight,  and  waited  almost  it  tiently  for 
the  enemy's  approach.  There  were  ..jw  fifteen 
hundred  brave  hearts  within  those  entrench- 
ments, eager  to  engage  with  the  foe.  Putnam 
told  the  men,  as  he  passed  hastily  along  the 
lines,  dusty  and  })erspiring,  not  to  waste  their 
fire,  for  powder  was  very  scarce.  "  Wait,"  said 
he,  "  till  you  see  the  whites  of  their  eyes,  and 
then  take  aim  at  their  waistbands !  Fire  low, 
—  and  pick  ofl'  the  commanders,  with  the  hand- 
some coats."  Prcscott  gave  the  same  orders  to 
those   within    the   redoubt.      So   did   the   other 


l^ 


IK 


ill 


liATTLE   OP   HUNKER   HILL. 


149 


officors  all  nlon^  the  lines,  behind  the  breast- 
works and  1  he  rail-lenc*?. 

The  moment  the  front  ranks  of  the  enemy 
came  near  enough,  the  word  was  j^iven  to  fire. 
The  exeeution  was  beyon<l  (h'seription.  Not  a 
single  shot  seemed  to  have  been  wasted.  The 
British  fell  down  in  solid  ranks,  like  grass  be- 
fore the  scythe  of  the  mower.  Another  volley 
followed  from  behind  the  intren(;hments  ;  and 
then  another  ;  each  doing  as  terrible  w^ork  as 
the  first;  and  instantly  the  whole  body  of  the 
British  were  struck  with  terror,  and  broke  and 
ran  like  sheep  down  the  hill.  Some  of  the  Am- 
ericans were  so  overjoyed  to  behold  the  result, 
that  they  leaped  over  the  rail  fence,  and  would 
have  nursuec!  them  down  to  the  water's  edge  ; 
but  they  were  prudently  held  in  check  by  their 
officers. 

It  was  not  long  before  Gen.  Ilowe  succeeded 
in  rallying  his  defeated  troo|)s  once  more,  and 
bringing  them  up  to  the  attack  as  before.  The 
Americans  made  ready  for  them  as  rapidly  as 
they  could.  Putnam  had  ridden  in  hot  haste 
across  to  Bunker  Hill,  and  tried  in  vain  to  bring 
back  the  additional  troops,  —  fragments  of  regi- 

13* 


150 


GEN.    ISRAEL   PUTNAM. 


?  s "  I 


ni 


ments,  —  posted  there,  so  that  th<'y  might  take 
part  ill  the  battle.  When  the  British  came  up 
to  the  attack  the  second  time,  there  were  no 
more  Americans  in  the  engagement  than  before. 
Four  hundred  men  had,  iiowever,  arrived  in 
the  meanwhile  from  Boston,  under  command 
of  Major  Small,  the  old  friend  of  Putnam. 
Gen.  Howe  led  the  way  this  time,  telling  his 
men  they  need  not  go  a  foot  further  than  he 
was  willing  to  go  himself.  This  time  they 
played  their  artillery  with  considerable  effect. 
They  were  obliged  to  march  over  the  dead 
bodies  of  their  companions,  which  lay  in  rows 
all  around  them  on  the  hillside.  Just  at  this 
moment,  too,  dense  clouds  of  smoke  began  to 
roll  up  from  the  burning  village  of  Charlestown 
at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  which  had  been  wantonly 
set  on  fire  by  hot  shot  thrown  from  the  British 
battery  on  Copp's  Hill.  The  expectation  on  the 
pait  of  the  enemy  was,  that  the  smoke  would 
roll  in  between  them  and  the  Americans,  so  as 
to  allow  them  an  opportunity  to  gain  their  rear 
unperceived,  and  likewise  to  reach  the  breast- 
works, which  they  were  then  resolved  to  scale. 
Fortunately,  however,  a  light   breeze  lifted  the 


KMI 


BATTLE   OF   BUNKER   HILL. 


151 


,. 


4 


t 


smoke  columns  in  its  airy  nands,  antl  drifted 
them  in  a  body  out  towards  the  sea.  Thus 
the  movements  of  the  British  were  as  apparent 
as  they  were  before.  The  Americans  behind 
their  intrenchments  waited  until  they  came  with- 
in the  prescribed  distance,  and  then  poured  in 
a  volley  that  did  even  more  murderous  work 
than  they  had  done  before. 

Whole  ranks,  of  officers  and  men  alike,  were 
swept  down  before  this  resistless  fire.  Gen. 
Howe  found  himself  at  one  time  standing  al- 
most entirely  alone.  The  troops  were  filfed  with 
direst  confusiou.  It  was  more  than  their  officers 
could  do,  to  hold  them  together.  The  broken 
ranks  could  not  be  closed  up  and  made  whole 
with  the  help  of  any  exertions.  No  threats  had 
the  least  eflect  upon  the  panic-stricken"  regulars. 
Alarmed,  and  dispirited,  and  overwhelmed  wifh 
double  confusion,  they  turned  their  backs  in 
a  body  n.nd  ran  oflf  down  the  hill,  beyond  the 
reach  of  the  Provincials'  deadly  musketry.  Gen. 
Clinton,  the  British  commander,  saw  the  rout 
that  had  been  created  by  the  stubborn  Provin- 
cial militia,  and  felt  mortified  and  chagrined ; 
BO  mucn  no  that  he  hastily  threw  himself  into 


II  li 

')1 


:  i 


}.  ; 


1  . 


■if 


i 


,VJ 


(H'.N.  ISllAKIi   PUTNAM. 


n  hivM,  :uul,  sonu"  fivo  luiiulriMl  more  followiiii^, 
rrossrd  over  willi  tin*  ri'cklcss  rcsolulion  of  scr- 
viiii^  :is  ;i  vulMiitt'cr,  A  part  o\'  tin*  Hrilisli 
ollicris  j)r(>t(*s(iHl  against  niarcliinij;  up  tlir  liiil 
Jii^aiii,  to  mct't  with  certain  drstructiDii  ;  but 
llowo  iiatl  by  tliis  tiiiu*  t'oniul  out  wlicrc  tlu^ 
\voaki\^t  point  in  tlu;  works  lay,  —  hctwtMMi  the 
breastworks  niul  the  rail-fcMice,  —  and  detiM*- 
inintul  to  niakr  owe  llnal  clVort  to  rarry  it.  It  is 
nlso  related  tliat  some  eari'less  soldier  wiilun 
tlu^  nvloubt  was  overheard  to  say  st)methinij 
about  the  seareity  of  the  ainnuniition  ;  and  this 
fsH't,  when  reported  to  the  ollieers,  gave  u  liltlo 
more  eneouramMuent  to  the  enemy. 

(Jen.  Howe,  therefor**,  led  the  third  attack 
against  the  Ameriean  let't,  especially  against 
(he  point  on  the  slope  between  the  breast- 
works and  the  rail-lence.  (Jen.  Pigot,  aided 
by  (^en.  (^linton,  inarched  up  to  attack  the  re- 
doubt, aiming  also  to  turn  the  American  right. 
The  orders  to  the  British  soldiers  were  to  takt^ 
the  fire  of  the  AuKTieans,  and  then  to  charm; 
bayonets  and  scale  the  works.  This  is  what  they 
should  have  done   in  the   first  place  ;  and  what 


i 
1 

i 


f 


HATTLK   OP   UUNKMU    HILL. 


ir.:5 


llicy    would    have    done,    iiiid    lliry    known    !iow 
slioil    llir  Ain(*ri<':uiH  wcn^   for  aniinnnition. 

While  llir  Hrilisli  wrrr  m'llin^^  rrjidy  to  coitu; 
ii|>  lo  the  (liird  assault,  tlir  Aiiicricaiis  had  tirno 
to  ri'lVcsh  t hcnisrivrs,  and  in  some  dcf^rrr  to 
rccovrr  I'roin  tin;  protracted  I'atiij^nr  of  the  ni^dit, 
and  <iay.  'I'hcy  also  bei^an  t«»  hope,  from  tin; 
lon^  int«'rval  that.  (•la|)S('d  hrtwcen  the  second 
and  third  atta<'lvs,  that  the  enemy  w.'re  linally 
d(?featcd,  and  would  not,  venture  t(»  come  up 
a^ain.  Well  mi^dit,  they  liav<'  hoped  it  was 
so,  lor  they  knew  too  well  how  low  their  am- 
munition had  ix'^un  to  run;  and  as  lor  their 
muskets,  then"  were,  very  few  bayonets  to  them 
all.  Therefore,  in  this  hriel  interval,  they  east. 
about,  to  know  what  they  should  do  if  th(^ 
crnerj^ency  really  cam(\  Sorrur  prepared  to  cluh 
their  nuiskets,  after  having  first  discharged  thern 
at  the;  enemy.  Some?  ("olU^cted  Hton(!H  and  other 
missiles,  to  hurl  at  them  in  th(5  last  necessity. 
They  thought  of  everything,  in   favi,  but  fear. 

Meantime  Major  (Jeneral  Ward  sent  over 
three  regiments  to  the  lit.'ld,  hoping  to  help  the 
troops  to  hoid  the;  hill.  One  detachment  of 
about   tiircc   hundred  did    paaa  over  the    neck  ; 


154 


«EN.    ISRAEL  rUTNAM. 


:     I 


)•  iS 


Si  t 


!'   t 


1  . 


St  * 


'Ml 


! 


but  the  lire  from  llu*  vessels'  j^uiis  tliat  swept  the 
entire  passaii^e  was  so  severe,  lliat  I  lie  men  hesi- 
iixivd  when  (hey  n^iehecl  <lie  spot  and  saw  the 
ahnost  t.itire  hopelessness  of  makini>;  th(^  at- 
tempt. Putnam  first  ordered  Ihese  three  hun- 
(h-ed  to  fall  to  work  inlrenehinij;  J}unker  llill, 
but  afterwards  ordered  them  forward  to  the  lines. 
He  was  workinijj  like  a  hero  all  the  while,  rid- 
ing to  and  fro  at  the  toj)  of  his  speed,  to  get 
the  seattered  forces  on  Bunker  Hill  into  mar- 
tial order,  and  to  lead  thiMu  on  to  the  defence 
of  Breed's  Hill.  He  also  rode  down  to  the 
neck,  and  shouted  to  the  recruits  on  the  other 
side  to  come  over,  and  lend  the  aid  of  their 
bayoiu^ts.  He  then  dashed  across  the  exposed 
))assage,  through  the  rain  of  the  balls  from  the 
enemy's  cannon,  in  order  to  show  them  that 
they  had  jiothing  to  fear.  But  it  was  to  no 
purpose. 

On  came  the  British,  at  length,  for  the  third 
time.  The  Americans  stood  tirm  and  resolute 
in  their  lines,  prepared  to  receivo  them.  The 
British  artillery  soon  turned  the  breastworks, 
however,  sweeping  the  whole  line  of  their  in- 
terior.   The  Americans  were  of  course  thus  driven 


•! 


Hi  i 
t 

f 


BATTLE   OP  BUNKER   HILL. 


156 


wiihin  <lio  rcdonl)*,  i\\v  })rrnsUv<)rk  hcin<:(  abati- 
(loruMl.  But  they  had  laUm  sun;  aim  hcforc!  they 
left,  and  brought  down  many  ;*  proud  British 
ofTircr.  (icnc^ral  llowc;  himself  was  wounded  in 
the  foot.  There  was  but  ou(;  round  a-pieee  to 
the  Provineials  now,  and  when  they  had  ex- 
pended tlieir  first  fire  tliey  knew  th(^y  must  make 
a  hand-to-hand  fight  of  it.  Ilencre  tliey  fired  with 
just  as  great  preeision  us  before,  every  shot  bring- 
ing down  its  man. 

Then  it  was  that  they  were  put  to  their  true 
mettle.  From  that  moment  it  was  every  man  for 
himself.  The  British  came  jumping  over  the 
walls  of  earth,  with  fixed  bayon-^^ts.  They  were 
received  with  showers  of  stones  in  their  faces, 
with  muskets  used  like  clubs  over  their  heads, 
and  with  resistance  in  every  possible  style.  The 
fight  was  man  against  man.  Every  inch  of 
ground  was  stoutly  contested.  The  redoubt 
was  already  fast  filling  up  with  the  enemy,  and 
the  Americans  saw  that  nothing  was  left  them 
but  to  retreat.  Major  Pitcairn,  —  the  same 
who  opened  the  revolution  on  Lexinglon  (iretui 
in  April,  —  was  one  of  the  first  to  mount  the 
walls  of  the  redoubt,  and  he  was  in  tantly  shot 


i 

Hr 

( 

k 

; 

1^1 


ti 


M 


) 


156 


GEN.  ISRAEL   PUTNAM. 


by  a  negro  soldier,  while  shouting  to  hia  rein- 
forcement of  murines  behind  him,  — "  Now  for 
the  glory  of  the  marines ! "  Prescott  ordered  a 
retreat,  feeling  certain  that  they  could  main- 
tain their  position  no  longer.  This  was  car- 
ried out  in  })erfect  order,  the  men  keeping  their 
faces  to  the  foe,  and  resisting  stoutly  for  every 
foot  they  were  obliged  to  yield.  Prescott  and 
Warren  were  the  last  to  leave  the  redoubt. 
The  butts  of  the  American  muskets  cracked 
loud  over  the  heads  of  the  British  soldiers,  and 
were  in  many  cases  shivered  into  fragments. 
There  was  a  glistening  of  steel  in  the  sun,  and 
a  clash  and  ring  of  bayonets  and  musketry. 
There  were  shoutings  and  curses,  and  an  in- 
describable confusion  of  sounds  and  voices.  The 
faces  of  many  of  the  militia  were  smutted 
and  blacken^^d  with  powder,  so  that  they  were 
scarcely  known  to  their  companions  and  friends. 
Col.  Gridiey,  who  planned  the  works,  was  wound- 
ed and  carried  off  the  hill.  Prescott  received 
several  bayonet  thrusts,  but  fortunately  was  not 
wounded.  Warren  retreated  even  after  the  lat- 
ter did,  and  was  shot  through  the  head  by  a 
musket  ball,  dropping  dead  in  his  tracks.     There 


BATTLE   OF  BUNKER   HILL. 


157 


he  lay  until  he  was  rocognized  the  next  morn- 
ing by  Dr.  Jcnfrics,  a  British  surgeon,  and  an 
inlimate  friend  ;  when  he  was  taken  up  and 
buried  on  the  spot  where  he  fell.  He  was 
mourned  by  the  whole  army  and  province.  Gen. 
Putnam  felt  his  loss  as  keenly  as  any  one  could; 
he  compared  his  fate  with  that  whieli  a  few 
years  before  overtook  young  Lord  Howe  at 
his  side,  while  marching  against  the  French  at 
Ticonderoga. 

Parts  of  regiments  at  this  juncture  came  pour- 
ing down   from   Bunker  Hill,   and   did   eHbclive 
service   in   covering  the   American    retreat.      At 
the  rail-fence,  which  was  manned  by  Putnam's 
Connecticut    troops,    with    others,    a    successful 
effort   was    made    for    a   short    time    to   prevent 
the    British    from    turning    their    flank,    and    so 
the   latter   were    kept   in  check  until    the   main 
body  could    safely   make   their   way  out  of  the 
redoubt ;  but  for  this  resolute  stand,  the  retreat- 
ing militia  must  have  been  cut  off  entirely.     But 
as  soon  as  they  saw  that  the  rest  of  their  com- 
rades   had    taken   to  Hight,  they  left   their   posU 
tion  with  all   possible   despatch.      Putnam   tried 
every   method   to    induce    them   to   stand   firm, 

14 


158 


GEN.  ISRAEL   PUTNAM 


im 


M 


V     i 


h    t 


1^  i 


\  '       f'r- 


flying  into  a  towering  j)iis>sion,  and  using  lan- 
guage that  was  for  a  long  time  afterwards  re- 
membered for  its  profanity.  The  old  man  could 
not  bear  the  thought  of  their  deserting  their 
ground,  and  it  is  said  that  he  was  not  wholly 
aware  at  the  time  how  low  they  had  run  for 
powder.  "  Make  a  stand  here  ! "  he  shouted. 
"  We  can  stop  them  yet !  In  God's  name,  fire ! 
and  give  them  one  shot  more  I "  Pomeroy,  too, 
with  his  shattered  musket  in  his  hand,  tried  to 
rally  them  for  one  more  eflbrt ;  but  it  was  in 
vain. 

Putnam  covered  their  retreat  in  person,  and 
was  not  more  than  twelve  rods  distant  from  the 
enemy,  and  fully  exposed  to  their  fire.  He 
came  to  one  of  the  field-pieces  that  had  been 
deserted,  which  he  roundly  swore  should  not 
be  given  up  to  the  enemy.  Only  one  man 
could  be  found  to  remain  there  with  him  ;  and 
he  was  in  another  moment  shot  down  at  his 
side,  and  the  rapid  advance  of  the  British  with 
fixed  bayonets  drove  him  from  the  cannon  also. 
Colonel  Trumbull,  the  painter  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, has  represented  Putnam,  in  his  great  bat- 
tle piece  at  the  national  Capital,  in  the  act  of 


mi 


BATTLE   OP   BUNKER  HILL. 


159 


defending  this  field-pieee  and  eovering  the  re- 
treating militia.  The  painter  has  attired  him 
in  a  splendid  bine  and  scarlet  uniform  ;  where- 
as his  dress  on  that  day  was  strikingly  differ- 
ent from  that,  and  more  truly  befitted  the  char- 
acter of  the  man  and  the  nature  of  the  work 
he  was  engaged  in.  An  old  soldier,  who  was 
in  the  fight  of  that  day,  has  told  us  exactly  how 
the  General  was  clad,  and  how  he  looked.  He 
says  that  he  rode  about  the  hill,  and  across  the 
neck  between  Charlestown  and  Cambridge,  in 
order  to  report  to  Gen.  Ward,  —  "without  any 
coat,  in  his  shirt  sleeves,  and  with  an  old  felt 
hat  on  his  head."  This  was  certainly  more  a 
dress  for  useful,  than  for  ornamental  purposes, 
and  would  not  be  likely  to  encumber  or  em- 
barrass any  one  who  had  hard  and  hasty  work 
to  do. 

The  Americans  retreated  in  good  order  down 
the  hill  and  across  the  neck,  compelled,  however, 
to  run  the  gaundet  of  the  galling  fire  from  the 
British  vessels.  Many  of  them  were  killed,  as 
was  to  be  expected.  They  next  took  up  their 
position  on  Prospect  and  Winter  Hills,  about 
a  mile  distant,  which  they  proceeded  at  once  to 


ir 


II 


ir 


i 


IGO 


GEN.   ISRAKI.   PUTNAM. 


fortify.  Here  llicy  Ii>y  all  iiii^Mit.  Tlic  British 
occupied  tiic  ijfroimd  they  liad  so  dciirly  gained, 
and  rciuiiincd  there  in  (|niet  until  iTiorninii;.  Had 
they  pursued  their  advantage,  and  jjushed  on 
upon  Cambridge,  it  would  have  proved  a  great 
day's  work  for  theui,  after  all.  Many  won- 
dered at  th(^  timir  why  they  did  not.  But  when 
the  report  of  their  losses  on  that  day  came  to 
be  given,  there  would  seem  to  have  been  the 
best  reason  in  the  world  for  the  negK'ct.  Out 
of  between  four  and  five  thousand  troops  that 
were  sent  over  from  Boston,  their  loss  in  killed 
and  wounded  amounted  to  fifteen  hundred.  It 
was  too  terrible  a  slaughter  for  them  to  recover 
from,  in  so  short  a  time.  Clinton,  however,  was 
for  pushing  on;  Howe  was  more  timid,  and  ad- 
vised that  the  troops  remain  and  rest  where  they 
were. 

This  day's  work  was  proof  enough  that  the 
Americans  could  boldly  resist  oppression  and 
tyranny.  They  had  seen  the  fire  and  smoke, 
and  heard  the  yells  and  groans  of  battle.  On 
that  Saturday  afternoon,  in  an  engagement 
which  lasted  about  two  hours  in  all,  they  lost, 
counting  the  killed,  wounded,  and  mibsing,  four 


BATTLE   OF   BUNKKU   HILL. 


IGI 


hundred  and  fifty  rncn.  This  was  in  no  sense 
a  victory  on  the  part  of  Ihe  Jirilish.  They  may 
have  ^r;ii,H.,l  t|„.  fu-Id,  because  tiie  atnriiunition 
of  tfie  Ainerieans  gave  out  too  soon  ;  hut  th<'y 
certainly  lost  the  battle.  Besides  this,  they 
learned  a  lesson  whic^h  they  refused  to  read 
before,  that  the  peoph;  of  America  would  fight 
to  the  last  drop  of  blood  for  their  rights,  their 
soil,  and  their  firesides. 

14* 


f ' 


m 


CHAPTER    VIII. 


}  >  ■ 


:   i 


SIEGE   OF   BOSTON. 

THERE  was  no  retreat  for  the  Colonists 
after  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  The  Riibi- 
eon  had  been  erossed.  They  had  taken  the 
8vvord,  and  made  their  appeal  to  the  God  of 
battles;  and  by  the  sword,  under  the  direeting 
care  of  a  kind  Providence,  must  they  only  hope 
to  stand  or  fall. 

There  was  no  formal  compact,  or  union,  as  yet 
between  the  several  Colonies  ;  yet  they  were  even 
then  conferring  together,  through  their  delegates 
in  Philadelphia,  as  to  the  best  method  of  making 
effective  resistance  to  the  tyrannical  demands  of 
England.  This  Congress  possessed  no  particular 
power  to  pass  any  acts  wliich  sb'^^  '  W  {  the 
Colonies,  but  was  convened  imoi  irpose 

of  conferring  upon  the  wi  p..        foi     leni  to 

adopt.      Massachusclts   hau    ])ioj   /.:.ed   a  federal 


1,7  I 
"  ■   i 


SIEGE   OP  BOSTON. 


103 


if 

ir 

\e 

le 

o 


iinton,  nnd  likewise  ofTcrpd  to  subscribe  to  any 
pl'dii  of  the  kind  wliich  slionid  \h\  br()U«i;lit  forwsird 
and  established.  'Vhv,  delegates  from  tia.'  other 
New  England  Colonies  agreed  to  th(!sarTie  thing. 
Congnvss  therefon!  acted  with  promptness,  as 
it  should  haver  done,  if  at  all.  It  at  once  pro- 
ceeded to  organi/c  and  ollicer  a  regular  army,  and 
placed  Washington  at  its  head.  There  were  four 
Major  Generals  appointed  under  him, —  Lee, 
Ward,  Schuyler,  and  Putnam,  (ieneral  Wash- 
ington came  on  to  ('Umbridge,  and  assumed 
his  high  otlice  on  the  I2«id  day  of  .July.  1I(»  also 
gave  Putnam  the  commission  which  he  brought 
on  from  Congress,  without  any  delay.  From 
others  he  withheld  their  commissions  for  a  time. 
Some  of  the  Brigadier  Generals  felt  aggrieved  that 
they  had  been  supersedtnl  by  men  who  ranked 
lower  in  the  armies  of  the  separate  colonies,  and 
left  the  army  in  consequence.  Jealousies  and 
heart-burnings  like  these  called  for  the  exercise 
of  the  highest  degree  of  patience  and  tact  on  the 
part  of  the  Commander-in-Chief;  and  it  was  for- 
tunate for  our  liberties  that  the  country  at  that 
time  had  a  man  like  George  W^ashington  to  place 
in  6uprerae  command.     It  is  suflicient  to  add  that 


ti 


,1 


wm 


111-*  I 


i ;  ■ 


fflWll 


1G4 


GEN.   ISRAEL   PUTNAM. 


those  ofllrors  rotnrnod  to  the  army  again,  consent- 
ing to  overlook  wiiat,  liad  at  iirst  given  them  such 
deep  dissatisfaetion. 

The  l^itish  iinni(Hliately  began  to  fortify 
Charlesfown,  and  carried  out  the  plans  of  Put- 
nam hims(>lf  upon  l^unker  Hill.  They  likewise 
strengthened  their  defeni-es  in  Boston  to  the  full- 
est eapaeity.  Washington,  upon  taking  eoin- 
mand,  formed  the  army  into  three  divisions: 
Major-CuMieral  Lee  commanded  the  left  wing, 
reaching  to  the  Mystic  r'ver,  —  Major-General 
Ward  commanded  the  right  wing,  stationed  at 
Dorchester  and  Roxlmry,  —  and  Major-General 
Putnam  conunanded  the  advance  of  the  centre, 
while  the  Commander-in-Chief  himself  made  his 
head  quarters  at  Cambridge.  Putnam  saw  Wash- 
ington for  the  firs'  time  in  his  life,  when  he  arrivd 
at  Cambridge,  and  the  acquaintance  tlms  formed 
ripened  into  a  friendship  and  intiiiacy,  which 
lasted  through  the  whole  of  Putnam's  remaining 
days. 

It  is  reported  that  a  flag  of  truce  arrived  at  the 
American  lines,  about  this  time,  which  had  come 
from  Major  Small,  the  old  friend  of  Putnam.  Small 
wished  to  see  Putnam  on  urgent  business.     The 


SIEdE   OF   BOSTON. 


165 


Ijittor  oonsnltrd  with  Washiiifrton  as  to  the  expedi- 
ency of  meet  iiiii;  liiiTi  HH  re(|U('ste(i;  hut  Wasliin^lori 
advised  tlu^  «<<'P?  find  Putnam  aeeordingiy  went 
over.  Major  Sniall  only  wished  to  make  a  proposal 
to  his  former  companion  in  arms,  on  behalf  of  the 
"British  eom!nand(^r.  It  was  that  Pntnam  should 
desert  tlie  ('ontinenial  Army,  throw  his  in(hi(Miec 
on  the  side  of  the  Kin*]j,  and  re{;eiv(!  tlierefor  —  as 
offered  to  him  onee  before,  —  high  rank,  a  iilx-ral 
compensation  in  money,  and  bountiful  provision 
for  his  sons.  Putnam  treated  the  proposal  as  he 
had  treated  it  one(*  before,  —  with  in(li<^nati()n  and 
scorn.  Th(?  story  goes,  that  Putnam  confided  the 
proposal  to  no  one  but  Washington,  and  that  it 
remained  a  secret  for  several  years. 

The  Americans  exerfed  themselves  without 
cessation  to  aedge  the  British  in;  and  fortius  piir- 
pose  they  erected  defences  and  fortifications  at 
every  point,  in  a  wide  circuit  of  a  dozen  miles 
around  Boston,  —  from  Dorchester  Heights  to 
Charlestown,  —  where  the  enemy  would  be  likely 
to  make  an  attempt  to  pass  through.  'J'lius  they 
were  completely  blockaded,  except  to  the  seaward. 
Winter  Hill,  Prospect  Hill,  and  Ploughed  HilJ 
were  fortified,  to  prevent  them  from  making  their 


mmm 


li;,; 


tlKN.    ISKAKL   rUTMAM. 


-i 


WMV  np  ihr  Mvslif  Kivcr.  I'isIiimiii  cxrrlrd  liirn- 
Kt'ir  i!;n'MlIy  to  rorlil'v  i\u'  I:»II<m-  liill,  siiicf  il  most 
immcdiatelv  «'lit>(K«'(l  aiiv  Mdviinliiu:*'  llirv  iiii'Mit 
nU(Mn|)l  1<>  lake  from  llicii-  po^ilion  on  l^iiilvrr 
Hill,  lie  never  relus«'(i  lo  w  «)ri\  wllli  iiin  own 
hands,  enlerini;  into  llie  labor  re«|uireil  willi  ail 
his   nalive   inipetuosily   and   ardor. 

(\>ni;;ress  put  forth  a  solemn  Declaration  of 
AVar,  on  tin  (ith  o(  .luly.  It  was,  at  the  time, 
quite  doubt I'nl  how  it  would  be  received  by  tlui 
army  whicli  Washington  was  so  actively  euii^a^ed 
in  t>ri;ani/ini;;  and  it  was  feared,  if  they  should 
refuse  to  ailopt  it  as  an  expression  of  their  own 
sentiments,  that  they  would  break  up  and  return 
in  time  io  tlH'ir  lu)mes.  'riiey  had  (Mdisted  for  no 
tlelinite  piTiod,  but  hat!  come  forward  as  volun- 
teers ti>  repel  the  assaults  of  the  Ihitish  on  Hoston. 
The  Divlaratiou  was  read  at  head-<piarters,  jit 
Cauibridge,  by  the  President  of  Harvard  (\)llege, 
on  the  l^^th  o(  .luly.  On  the  ISlh,  it  was  read 
to  the  division  under  command  of  (<eneral  Put- 
nam, on  Prospect  Hill;  after  which  the  soldiers 
shouted  "  Amen  "  three  times,  a  cannon  was 
fired,  cheers  were  given  by  the  troops,  and  the 
flag  of  Connecticut  was  thrown  to   the   breeze, 


t:4>    * 


i'S     T 


HIKdi;    (»K   ItOSTON. 


107 


Iwiirin^  on  one  h'kIi!  IIh-  iiiollo,  "  An  Afipnil  to 
Heaven ^^^  ;iii<l  on  (lie  otlirr,  "  (^iii.  (ninsfn/if,  sits- 
tinrl.^^  'I'lir  I'lssrx  (Jii/ctlc,  in  nnrnilin^  tin; 
C'vrnI,  Hiiid, — "Tin-  I'liilislinrM  on  liiniKcr  Hill 
licard  till'  slionls  of  tin;  Israr/ifrs,  mu\,  hrin^  vrry 
frarfnl,  |>;ir;i(lr(l  llicnjsclvr.s  in  hattl*-  nrniy."  I^'or 
Bonn!  lirnr  siflrr,  frrcjucnf;  Mkirinislics  ocimrn-d 
hclwccri  i\w  Iwo  lioHtilc  arrnicH,  which  IcrKlrd  fo 
iiiaUr  the  raw  Anjcrittaii  Holdic^rH  alert,  and  inindlul 
of  discipline. 

A  deseriptioii  of  the  American  (tamp  in  thiwe 
days,  from  the  pen  of  an  army  (;haplain,  is  very 
iMt(^rcstin«^  at,  this  time:  —  "  'I'hc  generals  an;  npon 
the  lines  every  day.  New  orders  from  his  vxc.vl- 
lency  are  read  to  the  respccttive  regiments,  every 
morn inp;  after  prayers.  'I'Ik;  strictest,  government 
is  taking  pla(!(^,  and  great  distinction  is  made  be- 
tween olhccrs  and  soldiers.  Ev(;ry  one  is  made; 
to  know  his  place,  and  keep  in  it,  or  to  he  tied  up 
and  receive  thirty  or  forty  lasln.'s,  according  to  his 
crime.  Thousands  are  at  work  every  day,  from 
four  till  eleven  o'clock  in  the  morning.  It  is  sur- 
prising how  much  work  har!  hctMi  done.  •  •  •  • 
Who  would  have  thought,  twelve  months  past, 
that  all   Cambridge   and   Charlestown  would   he 


I 


n 


ii  I 


1()8 


QKN.   ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


»S 


iMi 


|l 


covcrod  ovor  with  AiiuMican  camps,  and  cut  np 
into  forts,  and  IntrciichiiKMits,  and  all  the  lands, 
fields  and  orchards  laid  coininoii ;  horses  and  cat- 
tle feeding  in  the  clioicest  mowing  land,  whole 
fields  of  corn  eaten  down  to  the  ground,  and  large 
parks  of  well  regulated  locusts  cut  down  for  lire- 
wood  and  other  public  uses?  'JMiis,  I  nmst  say, 
looks  a  little  melancholy.  My  quarters  are  at  the 
foot  of  the  faiuous  Prospect  Tlill,  where  such 
preparatit>ns  are  mad(^  for  the  reception  of  the 
enemy.  It  is  very  diverting  to  walk  among  the 
camps.  They  are  as  dillerent  in  their  forms  as 
the  owners  are  in  their  dress,  and  every  tent  is  a 
portraiture  of  the  temper  and  taste  of  the  persons 
who  encamp  in  it.  Some  are  made  of  boards, 
and  some  of  sail-tdoth ;  some  partly  of  one  and 
partly  of  the  other.  Again  others  are  made  of 
stone  or  turf,  brick  or  brush.  Some  are  thrown 
up  in  a  hurry  ;  others  are  curiously  wrought  with 
doors  and  windows, done  with  wreaths  and  withes, 
in  the  manner  of  a  basket.  Some  are  your  proper 
tents  or  marquees,  looking  like  the  regular  camj)  of 
the  enemy.  In  these  are  the  Rhode  Islanders, 
who  ar^  furnished  with  tent  equipage  and  every- 
thing in  the  most  exact  English  style.     However, 


SIEOE-  OP  nosTox. 


169 


I  rhink   Huh  grojil  variety  rather  a  heanfy  than  a 
blemish  in  th(;  army." 

WashingJoii  felt  the  want,  of  powder  in  hit* 
army,  durin<^  tiiis  siiinmer  and  aututrm,  mon^  than 
anything  else.  II(^  fonnd,  to  his  surprise,  that  at 
one  time  he  had  but  thirty-two  barrels  for  the 
entire  army.  Privateersmen  were  fitted  out  to 
attack  tlie  enemy's  vessels  that  were  hovering  on 
the  coast,  and  oik;  of  the  latter  was  finally  cap- 
tured by  Capt.  Manly,  with  a  large  supply  of 
cannon  and  ammunition.  There  wer<'.  no  powder 
mills  in  the  coloni(!s  then.  Washington  was  very 
much  afraid,  too,  lest  iYr:  British  commander 
should  find  out  his  condition  in  this  particular. 
Vessels  were  fitted  out  from  various  ports  for  the 
West  Indies,  to  bring  back  supplies  of  |)o\vder 
alone.  New  England  rum  was  sent  to  the  coast 
of  Africa,  where  it  was  exchanged  for  the  much 
needed  commodity. 

The  British  numbered  about  thirteen  thousand 
men,  while  the  Americans  hemming  them  in 
counted  nearly  fifteen  thousand.  In  November, 
Gen.  Putnam  threw  up  other  fortifications  on 
Cobble  Hill,  which  was  somewhat  nearer  to  the 
enemy  in  Boston  than   Ploughed  Hill,  which  had 

16 


*•'  i;  i  M 

m 


, '  1 


.  i 


170 


UKN.    ISUAKL    PUTNAiV. 


t»ln'M«ly  Imm'm  <M'«'ii|)i«'(l.  This  inlrrnrlmMMil  wrnt 
by  llw'  UMinr  ol'  "  INiliiumV  iiiiprr^iiiihlr  forlrrss," 
wliilr  \\\v  t>ii(«  at  l*i«)s|)('('l  Hill,  wliicli  wms  IiIh 
\\V'm\  (HiarhTs,  was  calltMl  "our  main  loiircss." 
Tlu"  l\>rm«M*  was  brislvly  linMJ  upon  l»y  <lu*  Hril- 
ish  rannon,  both  tVoui  IbuiUrr  Mill  and  on  board 
tlitMr  \('ss(>Is,  wliiN'  I  lie  uirn  wen*  cn^a^cd  in 
tlnowiiii;  it  np;  but  no  daniau^c  resulted.  As 
st>on,  lu>wev(M*,ns  tlu^  tort ilicat ions  were  couiplrtcd, 
i\\o  guns  that  were  uioun((»d  witliin  tluMu  (»pen«'d 
on  the  i^iui-boats  and  batteri«'s  of  tlie  iMieniy  on 
Ciiarles  riv(>r,  and  elleetually  drt»v«'  them  iVom 
tlieir  troulilesome  ]>osition.  (Jeuerai  (Jaj^e  was 
btu'omini'  uneasy,  thus  shut  in  by  the  American 
iirmv.  His  nuMi  h»v  idle;  vice  was  last  iuereasini' 
in  the  ranks;  intoxieation  was  biH'oiuinij^  tpiite 
oonuuon ;  and  llu^  entire  body  o(  the  troops 
showed  sii^ns  oi'  a  rapid  tlemoralization.  He  saw 
his  mistake  in  remaininjj^  where  he  was.  Ho 
daretl  not  mareli  out  into  the  surroundiuij;  eoun- 
try,  antl  strike  a  blow* ;  Tor  it  mii^hl  be  tliat  lie  had 
not  the  present  strength.  Tlu>re  was  also  much 
rising  diealVeciion  both  among  his  otlicers  and 
j*olditTs.  The  Amerieans  printed  handbills,  and 
circulated  them  secretly  within  the  J3rilish  lines; 


, 


^U 


81  KG  I?   OV   IIOHTON. 


171 


hihI  IIicm(.  Irilliii^r  lliin^M  were  n  iin.IifKM-jniHf  .,f 
IK'niiiin.-nl  miHcliirC.  Tlicn-  in  ?i  liaiidhiH  „„w  in 
poHSCMMinii  (.('  ||„.  M:,ss;ir|i.isrllH  I  liHloricj.l  SiU'i- 
<'ty,  wliicli  WMH  priiilcd  ill  London,  arid  circiilalcd 
iminiif^r  IIm'  Holdicrs  who  wen-  alMnil  lo  nnhark  m 
rcinrontcnirnlH  Cor  yXnirrica.  On  onn  Hide  is  IIm, 
|)lirasc,  «  /{r/„rr  (Jod  and  man.  Ihrii  arc  rif^lur 
On  Ihc  hack  of  Ihc  Hairic,  and  rvid.-ntly  printed 
Jiflrr  ilH  arrival  in  (hi.s  coimlry,  were;  fwo  sfato- 
incnls,  as  follows,  llic  n-adrr  n-mcnibrrin^'  tliaf,  at 
Prosprci  Hill  wen-  l^l^narn's  head  (juartcrs,  and 
al.  HiinKcr  Hill  Ihosc  of  (;«■„.  Ilowf!:—^ 

rnosn:(rr  hill,. 
J.   Scjvcn  dollars  a  rnonili, 

II.  Fresh  j)rovisions,  and  in  plf^nty. 

III.  Ilcahh. 

IV.  freedom,  ease,  a(niienct!,  and  a  good  farm. 

m?i\KKH  HILL. 
T.  Thrco  pcnco  a  day. 

II.  Rot  fen  salt  pork. 

III.  TIk;  scurvy. 

IV.  Slavery,  l)e£2^^mry  and  want. 

Oeneral  (ia«r(.  wrote  home  to  Lord  Dartmouth, 
in  the  month  of  June,  —  "  The  trials  we  have  had, 


I 


172 


UEN.    ISUAEL   I'l'TNAM. 


show  lliat  the  r«'l)('ls  nro  not  i\\c  (IcspicMbIc  rahblo 
tt)o  inaiiy  have  supposed  llicm  to  Ik*."  In  .July 
li(*  wrote  ni»aiM,  in  sp(*!ikin«j[  of  tlu*  rrhcllion, — 
"This  province  beii^iin  it, —  I  ini«,'ht  say  this  town; 
for  lu're  the  arch  rebels  formed  their  scheme  long 
ago."  Provisions  at  length  began  to  grow  very 
Hcaree.  (iage  sentout  parties  to  obtain  pinndcr 
of  this  sort,  but  they  always  retnrn(>(l  nnsuccess- 
fnl.  I'^inaliy,  in  order  to  thin  out  the  population, 
it  was  determined  to  dismiss  all  th(*  inhabitants 
of  Boston  who  were  willing  to  go;  it  being  esti- 
mated that  there  were  between  six  and  seven 
thousand  in  the  town,  wiiose  absence  would  make 
cpiite  a  dillerence  in  the  amount  of  supplies  rc- 
(piired.  'J'hose  who  wislied  to  leave  were  told  to 
send  in  their  names;  but  as  they  were  expressly 
forbidden  to  carry  any  of  their  ))late  away,  or 
money  to  the  amount  of  more  than  five  pounds 
—  or  twenty-live  dollars,  —  to  each  person,  not 
more  than  two  thousand  names  were  given  in. 
People  of  property  would  not  go,  to  leave  their 
wealth  behind  them,  to  be  seized  and  divided 
among  a  foreign  soldiery.  But  in  the  number  of 
those  who  did  leave,  many  of  the  women  quilted 
their  silver  spoons  and  coin  into  their  under-gar- 


i 
i 


SIEOE   OP   nORTO>f. 


173 


to 


ot 
in. 
Mr 


rnciits,  ari<l  so  carried  ofl'  iiinch  of  Ihcir  valiiahlcs 
in  Hafcty. 

CongrrsH  began  1o  grow  impatient  that  Wash- 
ington liad  not  y«'t  risked  a  pitched  battle,  and  win- 
ter now  fast  coming  on.  'J'liey  found  fault,  some? 
of  Miem,  with  liis  ine(ri(;iency.  II»^  was  platu'd, 
however,  in  most  trying  circumstance's.  Tie  was 
very  short  for  the;  necessary  supplies  of  war,  while; 
the  soldiers  began  to  consider  th(^  time  criose  at 
hand  —  in  September  —  when  the  term  for  which 
they  had  eidisted  liad  expired.  He  was  himself, 
therefore,  in  favor  of  bringing  on  an  action  be- 
tween the  armi(^s  as  soon  as  it  could  b<;  done 
advantagi^ously :  but  the  odicrers  aboiit  the  council 
board  thought  otherwise.  He  drew  up  a  letter  to 
Congress,  describing  his  situation  ;  and  a  more 
melancholy  picture  than  he  sketched,  it  is  not 
easy  to  imagine.  He  laid  the  whoh;  biamt;  upon 
the  shoulders  of  Congress,  and  charged  it  u[)on 
them  that  the  paymaster  "  had  not  a  single  dollar 
in  hand,"  and  the  commissary  general  could  not 
strain  his  credit  any  farther.  He  told  them  whose 
fault  he  thought  it  was,  that  a  majority  of  the 
troops  were  "  in  a  state  not  far  from  mutiny,  upon 
a  deduction  from  their  stated  allowance."     Win- 

15* 


i 


.♦     <! 


174 


OEN.   ISRAEL   PUTNAM. 


i(T  wjis  npprojicliiiif^,  and  what,  1h'  asked,  was  to 
be  done?  All  lliis,  only  ilircc  months  after  he 
had   taken   the  coiniiiand. 

( J aijfe  was  called  homiMn  October,  and  General 
Howe  was  appointed  to  th(^  conniiand  of  the 
British  in  his  place.  The  l.ilter  general,  however, 
was  as  unwilling  to  attack  the  Aineri(v,ins  as  (lage 
had  ever  hvvu.  He  had  tried  their  mettle  for 
himself,  in  the  battle  on  Breed's  Hill.  So  he 
strengthened  his  position  in  the  town  as  iinich  aa 
he  could,  and  })repared  to  pass  the  winter  com- 
fc  tably  where  he  was.  He  fortified  Bunker  Hill 
more  stroui^lv  still,  and  add(»d  to  the  defences  on 
Boston  Neck.  He  pulled  down  many  buildings 
in  the  city,  and  erected  military  works  in  their 
place.  He  tore  out  the  pews  of  the  "old  South 
Church,"  and  converted  the  building  into  a  riding 
school  for  his  cavalry.  A  British  gentleman  wrote 
from  Boston  in  October,  "  we  are  now  erecting 
redoubts  on  the  eminences  on  Boston  Common ; 
and  a  meeting-house,  where  sedition  has  been 
often  preached,  is  clearing  out  to  be  made  a  rid- 
ing-school for  the  light  dragoons."  Another  writer 
says,  "in  clearing  everything  away,  a  beautiful 
carved  pew,  with  silk  furniture,  formerly  belong- 


BlIiKiE   OF  BOSTON. 


175 


rote 
ing 

Ion ; 

been 

Irid- 
riter 


ful 


'I 


|)ng- 


]ng  to  a  dccoascd  gciitlciriaii  iti  liif^li  estimation, 
wa.s  taken  down  and  carried  to  Mr.  .ioini  Arm- 
ory's house,  by  the  orth'r  of  an  oflieer,  who  ap- 
})lie(l  the  carved  work  to  the  erection  of  a  liog- 
stye." 

A  committee  came  on  from  C'ongress  hitc  in 
the  autumn,  to  confer  with  CJen.  Washington 
and  lay  down  wom<?  delinite  plan  of  fuUire  oper- 
ations. Dr.  Franklin  was  of  the  number.  Many 
of  the  soldiers  left  pr(!tty  soon  after,  their  terms 
of  enlistment  having  expired  ;  but  an  appeal  to 
the  people  of  New  England,  which  was  soon 
made,  called  forth  a  warm  and  most  cheering 
response.  Ten  thousand  men  placed  themselves 
in  readiness  to  march  at  a  moment's  warning. 
And  pretty  soon  after,  th(;  wives  of  the  odicers 
joined  them  in  the  camp,  which  brought  around 
lively  times  for  the  Christmas  holidays.  The  wife 
of  Gen.  Washington  came  on  from  Mount  Ver- 
non, not  considering  herself,  just  then,  safe  in 
Virginia. 

In  January  of  the  next  year,  1776,  the  British 
made  preparations  to  send  a  fleet  around  to  N(;w 
York.  Washington  heard  of  it,  and  ordered 
Gen.  Lee  across  the  country  to  that  city,  with 


m 


mmm 

Mi 


*  .1  ■  -± 


pi  I 


*  ' 


if 
11 


I  : 

II 

il    '  > 

'     i 


176 


GEN.   ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


authority  to  collect  such  an  army  as  he  could 
along  his  route,  and  then  make  the  best  defences 
for  the  city  he  was  able.  Coimecticut  espec- 
ially lu'lped  him  to  a  large  force.  He  at  once 
proceeded,  therefore,  to  fortify  the  city,  the 
heights  on  Long  Island,  and  the  Highland 
passes  on  the  Hudson.  Washington  resolved 
at  length  to  force  the  enemy  to  an  engagement, 
in  spite  of  the  advice  of  a  council  of  war  to  the 
contrary.  He  therefore  made  ready  to  occupy 
a  strong  position  on  Dorchester  Heights,  where 
he  could  command  the  town  and  the  harbor. 
These  heights  are  now  within  what  is  called 
South  Boston. 

On  the  night  of  the  2d  of  March,  he  opened 
his  fires  from  an  ojjposite  direction  upon  the 
city.  These  he  kept  up  for  the  two  nights  fol- 
lowing. The  object  of  this  was,  to  deceive  the 
British  as  to  his  real  intentions ;  so  that  when 
Ihey  looked  up  at  the  Heights  on  the  morning 
of  the  5th  of  Me^rch,  they  saw  the  morning  of 
the  17th  of  June  previous  acted  all  over  again. 
They  were  struck  with  terror.  They  saw  that 
Ihe  Americans  now  had  it  in  their  power  to  do 
fcrith  them  almost  what  they  chose.     They  had 


SIEGE    OF   BOSTON. 


177 


ain. 

Imt 

do 

had 


but  one  conrst^  to  pursuo,  and  that  was  to  re- 
treat. The  British  conuiiandcr  planned  an  ex- 
pedition against  th(!  fortified  Americans,  under 
the  command  of  Lord  IVrcy,  but  it  amounted 
to  nothing.  A  storm  succeeded  in  scattering  the 
boats  in  which  th(;  troops  had  embarked,  which 
Washington  himself  very  deeply  regretted  ;  for 
had  it  occurred  otherwise,  he  was  sure  that  the 
entire  British  army  would  have  fallen  into  his 
hands.  His  own  plan  was  to  send  a  division 
into  the  city  from  another  quarter,  the  moment 
the  force  under  Lord  Percy  should  leave  it  to 
attack  Dorchester  Heights;  and  (Jen.  Putnam 
was  to  have  led  on  this  assault,  with  four  thous- 
and men.  The  story  goes,  that  while  this  plan 
of  Washington's  was  under  discussion  in  the 
council  of  otficers,  Putnam  could  not  sit  easy 
in  his  chair,  but  kept  going  continually  to  the 
door  and  windows  to  look  out.  Washington 
urged  him  to  be  quiet,  —  to  sit  down  and  give 
his  advice  as  certain  questions  came  up  to  be 
decided.     "  Oh,"  said   Putnam,  "  you   may   plan 

the  battle  to  suit  yourself.  General,  and  I  will 
fight  it  I"  Whether  true  or  not,  it  is  character- 
istic enough  to  be  quite  probable. 


*     M 


fef.M 


Hi' 


'i; 


Mi: 

;   I 


i  !u 


178 


GEN.   ISRAEL   PUTNAM. 


Nook's  nil!  —  which  was  still  nearer  to  the 
British  —  was  fortified  on  the  night  of  the  16th 
of  March,  and  then  they  knew  they  might  as 
well  be  going.  Accordingly  they  made  all  pos- 
sible haste  to  embark.  They  began  to  move  at 
yunrise,  and  by  the  middle  of  the  forenoon  were 
on  board  their  vessels,  and  on  their  way  out  to 
sea.  This  was  glorious  news  indeed.  Bo.-^ton 
was  at  once  ordered  to  be  occupied  by  two  de- 
tachments of  troops,  under  command  of  Gen. 
Putnam  He  took  possession  of  all  the  fortifi- 
cations which  were  thus  hastily  deserted,  amid 
ge.:?rai  congratulations  and  rejoicings.  It  is  re- 
lated that  the  British  left  wooden  sentries  on 
Bunker  Ilill,  with  muskets  fixed  upon  their 
shoulders  ;  but  they  inspired  the  Americans 
with  no  great  amount  of  fear,  and  did  not  so 
much  as  serve  to  draw  the  charge  from  a  sin- 
gle musket. 


i 


;gi 


m 


CHAPTER    IX. 

OPERATIONS   IN   NEW    YORK. 

THE  British  Hoof,  with  all  the  troops  on 
board,  sailod  im mediately  to  Halifax. 
Gen.  Howe  expected  at  that  point  to 
be  reinforced  from  England,  before  proceeding 
to  make  any  further  demonstrations  against  the 
Colonists.  But  he  soon  found  his  quarters  there 
too  close  to  be  altogether  comfortable,  and  af- 
terwards left  for  New  York,  reaching  Staten 
Island  in  the  latter  pan,  of  .In no. 

Major  General  Lee,  having  had  time  merely 
io  plan  his  defences  in  and  around  New  York, 
was  ordered  in  haste  to  take  connnajid  of  the 
Souri  en  irmy,  and  posted  oil  to  South  Caro- 
lina  for  that  j)urpose.  Putnam  was  sent  to 
New  York  in  his  place,  ,ind  assumed  command 
there  forthwith,  receiving  his  ord(>rs  from  Gen. 
Washington    on    the    29ih   of   Mar.-h,    or    only 


180 


GEN.    ISRAEL   PUTNAM. 


twolvo  c'ays  after  the*  British  loft  Boston.  Ilia 
spt'ciiil  duty  was  to  coiiipk'te  tho  defences  that 
had  been  designed  by  (jJen.  Lee,  and  to  put  tlic 
army  under  his  immediate  command  in  as  good 
a  state  of  diseipiine  as  he  could.  His  head- 
((uarters  in  New  York  were  opposite  Bowling 
Green.  His  family  were  with  him  there,  and 
in  his  military  family  were,  with  others.  Major 
Aaron  Burr,  his  own  son,  and  Major  —  after- 
wards Colonel — Humphreys,  who  wrote  the  first 
biography  of  the  old  soldier  that  was  ever  read. 

Gen.  Putnam  had  hard  work  to  quell  the  feel- 
ing of  disalTection  which  he  found  to  be  so  com- 
mon around  him.  Oftentimes  j)lots  w^ere  set 
on  foot  by  Americans  who  favored  the  British 
cause,  to  overthrow  which  required  all  his  vig- 
ilance and  industry.  There  were  j)lenty  of 
loyalists  on  Long  Island,  and  in  New  Jersey, 
who  were  not  at  all  backward  in  aiding  the  de- 
signs of  the  enemy,  by  performing  the  service 
of  >  pies  upon  the  doings  of  the  Americans.  At 
one  time  tliey  had  matured  a  plan  to  suddenly 
seize  the  person  of  Gen.  Putnam,  and  deliver 
him  o\er  to  the  British.  Putnam  declared  mar- 
tial law,  whicli  of  course   subjected   the  city   to 


OPERATIONS   IN   NEW   YORK. 


181 


pfrict  military  rnlo,  snrli  as  prevails  in  a  camp. 
No  inhabitant  was  allowed  to  pass  any  sentry 
at  night,  who  conld  not  give  the  countersign. 
Th(^  |)eople,  likewise,  not  yet.  having  had  any 
open  rupture  in  that  quarter  with  the  British, 
were  in  the  habit  of  trading  with  their  vessels 
in  certain  coinmodit'  •  that  were  wanted  by 
them,  which  of  course  p'roduced  a  strikingly 
bad  effect  ;  this  traffic  General  Putnam  forth- 
with stopp?»d  ;  he  would  not  tolerate  any  com- 
merce or  communication  between  the  fleet  and 
the  shore.  Those  who  were  taken  in  the  act 
of  goiiig  to  and  fro,  were  treated  as  open  ene- 
mies. He  appointed  an  Inspector  for  the  port, 
whose  duty  it  was,  among  other  things,  to  give 
permits  to  the  oystermen. 

He  sent  n  body  of  a  thousand  men  over  to 
fortify  Governor's  Island,  and  also  threw  up  de- 
fences at  Red  Hook,  and  along  the  Jersey  shore. 
The  great  object  then  was,  to  prevent  the  British 
from  landing;  having  no  navy,  it  was  useless 
for  the  Americans  to  think  of  giving  any  trouble 
to  the  enemy's  fleet  where  it  was.  Finding  that 
the  expected  reinforcemetits  were  but  slow  in 
coming  forward,  the  British  general  again  put 

16 


♦'      f. 


!IH!||i;i|! 


182 


6EN.  ISIiAEL  PUTNAM. 


to  sea  hoping  perhaps  to  fall  in  with  them.  Put- 
nam, however,  still  kept  at  work  according  to 
the  original  jilan,  antl  performed  a  vast  deal  of 
labor,  lilth^  of  wiiieh  at  this  time  makes  any 
sliow  on  record,  in  rendering  the  cily  saft;  against 
the  assaults  of  enemies  either  without  or  within. 
A  British  shi(),  about  this  time,  sent  a  boat  on 
shore  for  refreshments,  containing  a  midship- 
man and  twelve  sailors.  Putnam  ordered  an 
attack  on  all  such  visitors,  agreeably  to  which 
order  two  of  this  boat's  crew  were  killed  and 
the  rest  taken  ))risoners, 

Washington  l''ft  Boston,  and  reached  New 
York  about  the  middle  of  April.  lie  very  well 
knew  that  the  next  effort  of  the  British  would  be 
to  strike  a  successful  blow  here,  for,  with  a 
base  line  for  operations  like  New  York,  they 
could  j)enetrate  northward  to  Canada,  eastward 
into  New  England,  or  westward  into  New  Jer- 
sey and  Pennsylvania.  Hence  his  exertions  were 
all  put  forth  to  prevent  the  city's  falling  into 
their  hands.  Governor's  Island  had  been  forti- 
fied by  Gen.  Putnam  already  ;  which  elfectually 
cnecked  the  entrance  of  the  ships  from  the 
Narrows.     Hulks  were   now  sunk   in  the  chuu- 


OPERATIONS   IN   NEW   YORK. 


183 


d 


nels  of  East  River  and  the  Hudson,  to  pre- 
vent their  vessels  corning  up.  The  great  need 
about  the  fortifications  was  heavy  cannon. 
Could  the  Americans  have  been  j)roperly  sup- 
plied with  these,  the  city  would  never  have  fall- 
en into  th(;  hands  of  the  British  as  easily  as  it 
afterwards  did.  While  atVairs  remained  in  this 
posture,  Washington  went  on  to  Philadel[)hia,  to 
exchange  views  with  Congress,  which  was  stiil 
in  session  there  ;  and  during  his  absence  Put- 
nam again  resumed  the  chief  command,  lie 
was  much  occupied,  in  the  absence  of  the  Com- 
mander-in-chief, in  putting  down  the  secret 
schemes  and  plots  of  the  Toriet:,  many  of 
whom  where  to  be  found  in  the  lower  counties 
near  the  city,  on  Long  Island,  and  aioi'g  the 
Connecticut  shore.  Several  of  this  class  were 
arrested,  and  one  was  finally  tried  and  executed, 
as  an  example. 

It  being  continually  expected  that  the  enemy 
would  soon  arrive  with  a  larger  fleet  and  army, 
every  exertion  was  made  to  be  ready  to  give 
them  a  fitting  reception.  Congress  recommend- 
ed the  building  of  fire-boats,  or  rafts,  to  oppose 
the  ships  in  their   entrance  from  the   xVarrows ; 


WTiT 


IPWII^ 


184 


GEN.   ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


f,; 


1:4 


and  io  iliis  siihjcct  Gen.  Putnam  gave  his  imme- 
diate and  earnest  attention.  Tlur  expeetation  of 
the  daily  ariivid  of  a  hiri^e  Ikitish  fleet  was  not 
a  vain  one;  for  Howe's  brother — Lord  Jlowe, 
or  Achnira!  Howe,  as  he  was  called,  —  soon  made 
his  appearance  oil'  New  Yoriv,  with  reinforce- 
ments that  at  once  i^ave  the  conllict  a  mnch 
more  serious  character  than  it  had  even  assinned 
before.  This  arrival  occurred  about  the  middle 
of  July.  .Tust  previous  to  this  event,  however, 
the  inmiortal  Declaration  of  lndej)endenc(;  had 
been  passed  by  the  Continental  Congress  in 
Philadelphia,  declaring  the  Colonies  of  North 
America  no  longer  Colonies  of  Great  Britain, 
but  free  and  independent  Stales.  This  was  a 
stc))  forward,  and,  for  those  times,  quite  a  long 
one.  It  was  extremely  doubtful  how  this  act  on 
the  part  of  Congress  would  be  received  by  the 
army,  and  much  anxiety  was  for  a  time  felt 
concerning  it.  John  Hancock,  the  President 
of  the  American  Congress,  sent  a  copy  of  it  to 
Gen.  Wasliington,  who  inunedia^ely  caused  it  to 
be  read  at  the  head  of  the  army,  at  six  o'clock 
in  the  evening,  accompanying  his  order  with  the 
recommendations  of  a  true  and  large-souled  pa- 
triot. 


OPERATIONS   IN   NEW   YORK 


185 


Together  with  the  foree  under  Admiral  Howe, 
and  that  of  (Jen.  CNnton,  who  had  also  returned 
at  ahoiit  \\\o  same  time;  from  llie  sontli,  (r«'n. 
Howe  was  phieed  at  the  head  of  an  army  of 
nearly  twenfv-iive  thousand  men,  the  vtTy  ilovver 
of  thi;  Knrt)})<'an  armies.  Many  of  these  were 
troops  that  had  !)een  hired  for  the  war  by  Eng- 
land, wlio  were  eallcd  mercenaries.  The  Hes- 
sians wer(^  of  this  eharaeter.  These  troops  were 
experienced  in  the  art  of  war,  and  were  already 
in  a  very  high  state  of  discipline.  Against  them 
the  American  Commander  (;ould  muster  only 
about  seventeen  thousand  men,  raw  militiamen, 
but  ivn  thousand  of  whom  were  said  to  be  good 
for  anything  like  active  service.  The  design  of 
the  British  General  was  to  pass  up  the  Hudson, 
and,  by  preventing  any  further  union  between 
the  people  of  the  Eastern  and  Middle  States,  to 
conquer  the  one  and  put  a  stop  to  what  was  still 
considered  only  a  growing  disallection  in  the 
other.  Accordingly,  not  long  after  their  arrival 
off  Staten  Island,  two  vessels  of  war  set  out 
and  run  the  gauntlet  of  the  American  fortifica- 
tions, on  their  way  up  the  Hudson.  The  Ameri- 
can  guns   opened  on  them  as  they  passed,   but 

16* 


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GEN.    ISRAEL   PUTNAM. 


\-4.i  A 


tli<;  wind  being  favorable,  they  received  litlU;  or 
no  damage  ;  by  taking  advantage,  also,  of  a  very 
liii!;li  lide,  the  enemy's  vessels  cleared  the  sunken 
luillvs  without  any  diliiculty.  After  jiassing  the 
forts,  they  anchored  in  Tappan  Zee,  a  broad  part 
of  the  river  some  forty  miles  above  the  city.  In 
this  position  they  could  not  be  reached  from  the 
shore,  and  they  could  intercept  whatever  sup- 
plies came  down  the  river  for  the  American 
army. 

The  most  that  could  be  done  by  the  American 
commander  to  amioy  the  enemy  in  their  new 
position,  was  done  faithfully.  To  this  end  firc- 
boats  were  constructed,  and  chcvaux-de-frise  was 
sunk  across  the  river.  Fourteen  fire-ships  were 
prepared  to  sail  secretly  among  the  enemy's  ves- 
sels of  war,  and  destroy  them  by  burning.  But, 
as  it  turned  out,  nothing  came  of  all  these  in- 
genious devices.  The  Americans  should  have 
had  a  well  equipj)ed  navy,  in  order  to  success- 
fully compete  with  the  enemy  hovering  on  their 
coasts.  There  v/as  one  invention,  however,  that 
excited  a  great  deal  of  interest  then,  and  de- 
serves to  be  mentioned  in  this  place.  It  was 
a  marine  apparatus,  called  the  "  American  Tur- 


OPERATIONS   IN   NEW   YORK. 


18T 


tie,"  and  was  the  device  of  a  man  ])y  the  name  of 
Buhlmeil,  lH'l{)HL(inii^  to  ('Oinunrtieut.  It  was  a 
maehiiic,  sliajM'd  ;is  iir:irly  like;  a  turtle  as  ini<,dit 
be,  large;  ciioiig  in  its  iiiti'rior  to  contain  a  man, 
and  provided  witli  a  galvanic;  apparatus  and  a 
supply  of  j)o\vder  wit'n  wliieii,  after  liaving  first 
secured  tin;  powder  to  tlie  !)ottom  of  the  enemy's 
vessel,  to  produce  an  exj)losion.  'JMu;  miui  sit- 
ting within  it  could  row  himself  about  in  any 
direction,  and  was  furnished  with  lead  ballast 
to  siidv  himself  out  of  sight  below  the  surface  of 
th(;  wat(;r. 

It  so  chanced  that  Buslmell  could  not  accom- 
pany this  machine  on  the  expedition  for  which 
it  was  designed,  and  so  a  fellow  named  Bije 
(Abijah)  Shipman  was  procured  in  his  j)lace. 
Putnaiu,  with  several  oth(T  odicers,  went  down 
to  the  shore,  early  one  morning,  the  design  be- 
ing to  drift  down  the  stream  and  fasten  his  ex- 
plosive instrument  underneath  the  ilag-ship  of 
Admiral  Howe,  —  the  Eagle.  Just  as  he  was 
about  to  ensconse  himself  within  tlie  curious 
craft,  he  must  needs  imagine  that  he  could  not 
get  along  without  a  (piid  of  tobacco,  lie  stuck 
his  head  out  of  his  hiding-place,  and  told  Clcn. 


:jMiJi»i 


'  { 


i 


188 


UEN.   ISRAEL   I'UTNAM. 


Pntnani  Ihat  ho  must  have  a  fresh  cud,  the  old 
cud  ill  his  iijoulii  would  not  lust  him  half  the 
way  tJK'rt'.  None  of  tiic^  oflioors  could  just  then 
supply  his  want,  Ihough.thcy  promised  him  all 
he  wanted  at  a  future  time.  He  declared  he 
knew  the  plan  would  fail,  and  all  for  the  want 
of  a  fresh  chew  of  tobacco  !  It  did  fail.  Put- 
nam watch(Hl  late  into  the  morning  to  witness 
th(!  explosion  under  the  Admiral's  ship,  but  none 
took  place.  He  studied  the  proceeding  keenly 
through  his  glass,  and  at  last  descried  the  little 
black  object  drifting  away  just  to  the  left  of  the 
Eagle.  It  had  not  come  up  quite  in  the  right 
place.  The  sentinels  on  board  the  shi()  saw  it 
as  it  rose,  and  fired  olf  their  muskets  at  the 
strange  object.  "  Bije  "  went  under  as  if  they 
had  sunk  him  with  their  shot.  He  had  de- 
tached his  powder  magazine,  which  exploded  in 
about  an  hour  after,  as  designed,  throwing  up  a 
tremendous  spout  of  water  all  around.  The 
Eagle,  as  well  as  the  other  vessels  of  the  lleet 
near  by,  made  haste  to  lift  their  anchors  out 
of  the  mud  and  sail  away.  From  tiiat  day 
until  New  York  finally  fell  into  the  hands  of 
the    British,   their   vessels    kept   at   a   very   safe 


I!  ■> 


OPKUATIONS    IN   KEW   YORK. 


189 


find  rcsprctful  distanco.  "  Dijc "  dcchircd  llmt 
lie  got  his  turth'  under  the  ]'iagh',  as  intended; 
but,  on  the  first  trial,  tlie  screw  with  wliieh 
he  was  to  secure  tlie  ])ow(U'r-niagazine  to  her 
bottom  struck  against  a  j)iece  of  iron  ;  this 
made  liim  "  uarvous,"  and  he  could  do  noth- 
ing afterwards  !  It  all  fell  through,  just  be- 
cause he  was  obliged  to  hurry  olf  without  a 
fresh  cud  of  tobacco ! 

"Washington  ordered  Gen.  Greene  to  take 
up  his  position  at  Brooklyn,  on  Long  Island, 
which  was  strongly  fortified  against  an  attack 
from  the  Island,  by  a  line  of  defences  extend- 
ing around  from  Wallabout  Bay  to  Gowanus's 
Bay.  These  were  considered  sutlicient  ])ro- 
tcction  against  the  approaches  of  the  British 
by  the  land,  while  other  defences  furnished  se- 
curity against  attacks  by  sea.  Bc^hind  these 
defences  stretching  from  one  bay  to  the  other, 
was  a  high  ridge,  —  or  back-bone,  so  to  call 
it, —  thickly  covered  with  a  growth  of  wood. 
There  were  only  three  places  where  they  could 
be  traversed  by  a  force  of  cavalry,  or  through 
which  artillery  could  be  taken  ;  and  at  these 
three    |)oints   were   roads,   regularly   constructed, 


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GEN.   ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


which  led  from  the  ferry  at  the  Narrows  to 
Brooklyn   itself. 

Unfortunately  enough,  Gen.  Greene  fell  sick 
of  a  fever,  just  at  this  critical  time,  and  the 
command  devolved  on  Gen.  Sullivan.  On  the 
2:2d  day  of  August,  the  Britishj  under  com- 
mand of  Gen.  Clinton,  commenced  landing  from 
their  ships,  being  well  protected  by  their  guns. 
They  made  one  encampment  at  Flatland,  and 
another,  chiefly  of  Hessians,  at  Flatbush.  The 
British  were  divided,  in  fact,  into  three  sec- 
tions ;  a  right,  a  centre,  and  a  left.  Lord  Corn- 
wallis  commanded  the  first,  De  Heister  the 
second,  and  Grant  the  third.  The  wooded 
heights  formed  the  natural  barrier  between  the 
two  armies.  If  the  British,  therefore,  were  to  fall 
upon  the  American  forces,  they  could  hope  to 
reach  them  only  by  one  of  the  three  rodds,  or 
passes,  above  mentioned. 

Washington  sent  over  Gen.  Putnam  to  take 
command  of  the  camp  in  Brooklyn,  on  Sunday, 
the  25th  dny  of  August.  The  battle  —  called 
the  Battle  of  Long  Island  in  history  —  took 
place  on  the  27th.  With  Putnam  likewise 
went   over    a   reinforcement   of  troops,   consist- 


m  I 

m 


OPERATIONS   IN    NEW   YORK. 


191 


ing  of  siv  battalions.  The  directions  were  par- 
ticularly to  protect  the  passes  through  the  woods 
by  every  means  possible.  Gen.  Sullivan  had 
pushetl  forward  from  the  American  camp  in 
Brooklyn,  and  erected  a  strong  redoubt  on  the 
heights  that  commanded  Flatbush,  where  the 
Hessians  lay  in  force. 

To  the  east  t)f  tlie  wood,  there  was  a  nar- 
row pass  that  conducted  from  Jamaica  to  Bed- 
ford, and  so  to  the  rear  of  the  American  works 
occupier)  0--  ^er..  Sullivan.  This  was  so  cir- 
cuitous to  reach,  that  it  was  thought  the  point 
least  in  danger  ;  and  perhaps,  also,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  sudden  illness  of  Gen.  Greene 
and  the  consequent  change  of  command,  its 
importance  as  a  post  in  the  entire  plan  of  de- 
fences had  not  received  quite  as  much  atten- 
tion as  it  deserved.  Gen.  Clinton  fonnd  out 
the  party  which  guarded  this  pass  was  not  so 
strong  but  that  they  might  b(^  easily  overcome; 
and  ill  order  to  take  timely  advantagt;  of  the  dis- 
covery, he  left  his  camp  at  Flatland,  at  nine 
o'clock  on  the  evening  of  the  26th,  and  stealthily 
marched  round  to  surprise  the  militia  stationed 
there.      lie   reached    the    place  just   before   the 


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192 


GEN.  ISRAEL   PUTNAM. 


day  dawned  ;  and  so  unexpected  was  his  ap- 
proach, that  the  entire  party  surrendered  them- 
selves prisoners,  withoul,  offering  any  resist- 
ance. This  single  point  turned  the  entire  for- 
tunes of  tlie  day. 

Clinton  had  previously  arranged,  that  at  about 
the  tinne  when  he  should  have  taken  this  pass, 
the  right  division  should  make  demonstrations 
on  the  American  left,  or  against  the  other  ex- 
treme of  their  lines,  in  order  to  draw  off  their 
attention  from  the  real  danger.  These  arrange- 
ments were  carried  out  to  the  letter,  and  with 
surprising  success.  Gen.  De  Heister  also  made 
a  simultaneous  attack  with  his  Hessians  upon 
Gen.  Sullivan's  redoubt  over  Flatbush.  But 
neither  attack  was  intended  to  be  much  more 
than  a  feint  to  keep  the  Americans  from  any 
suspicion  of  the  real  design.  So  that  Clinton 
finally  stole  unobserved  through  the  easterly  pass, 
leading  from  Jamaica,  with  the  van  of  the  Brit- 
ish army,  supplied  with  all  the  artillery  and  cav- 
alry he  would  be  likely  to  require,  and  success- 
fully turiied  the  American  left.  And  not  until 
the  British  had,  in  fact,  come  round  and  sud- 
denly   burst   on   the    American    rear,   were    the 


OPEJIATIONS  IN   NEW    lOllX. 


193 


latter  aware  of  their  danger.  De  Heister  now 
seriously  attacked  Cen.  Sullivan's  works  in  the 
centre,  while  Clinton  came  upon  them  in  the 
rear.  There  they  were,  hemmed  in  between 
two  divisions  of  a  hostile  army.  There  was 
no  alternative  but  to  surrender,  and  Sullwan 
did  surrender.  He  was  taken  prisoner  himself, 
as  well  as  a  large  part  of  the  force  under  his 
immediate  command.  Many  of  the  Americans, 
however,  fought  their  desperate  way  through 
the  enemy  that  pressed  hotly  upon  them,  and 
Iretreated  in  safety  to  the  camp  at  Brooklyn. 

At  the  same  time  that  the  battle  was  going 
on  between  the  American  centre  and  the  Brit- 
ish centre,  as  auove  described.  Gen.  Grant  was 
bringing  up  the  British  left  to  attack  the  Amer- 
ican right,  commanded  by  Lord  Stirling.  This 
resulted  also  in  a  rout  of  the  latter  force,  most 
of  whom,  however,  made  good  their  way  back 
to  Brooklyn.  Stirling  was  himself  taken  pris- 
oner, together  with  the  body  of  militia  he  had 
led  forward  to  the  vigorous  assault  which  he 
made  upon  the  enemy  in  order  the  belter  to 
cover  the  retreat  of  the  remainder.  Sullivan 
did  all  that  a  brave  man,   suddenly   surrounded 

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194 


GEN.  ISRAEL   PUTNAM. 


by  an  enemy  far  superior  in  numbers,  could 
have  hoped  to  do.  He  fought  bravely  for  two 
long  hours,  maintaining  his  ground  for  that  time 
against  odds  that  would  have  appalled  many 
a  commander  less  courageous  and  self-reliant 
than  he. 

Gen.  Washington  came  over  from  New  York 
during  the  heat  of  the  engagement,  and,  from 
the  camp  in  Brooklyn,  himself  witnessed  the 
hopeless  loss  of  the  day.  The  British  were 
two  against  the  Americans'  one,  and  our  troops 
were  in  all  respects  inferior  to  th<"/se  whom 
they  were  called  to  meet.  The  Commander- 
in-chief  could  not  suppress  his  deep  excitement, 
at  seeing  the  havoc  thus  suddenly  produced  by 
the  enemy  ;  yet  there  was  nothing  that  he 
could  do  then  to  retrieve  the  fallen  fortunes  of 
his  army.  Gen.  Putnam  continued  to  carry 
out  his  orders  in  strengthening  the  defences 
of  the  camp,  and  providing  for  the  next  step 
that  had  already  been  decided  on.  For  it 
became  instantly  evident  that  the  Americans 
could  not  hold  their  present  position.  They 
must   either   risk  another   attack    from   Clinton, 


OPERATIONS   IX   NEW   YORK. 


195 


which    could   terminate  only  in   signal  disaster, 
or  take  counsel  of  prudence,  and  retreat. 

Washington  chose  the  latter.     Had  the  Brit- 
ish   pursued    their    success   without   any   delay, 
they  would  unquestionably  have  struck  the  last 
and  heaviest  blow  at  the  American  Revolution  ; 
it  would  then    have   appeared   on  the   pages  of 
history   only    as    a    rebellion.     But   in    the    very 
flush    and    excitement  of   victory,   they    suffered 
the  main  advantage,  and  their  only  permanent 
advantage,  too,  to  escape  them.    The  neglect  was 
very  similar  to  that  of  which  they  were  guilty 
immediately  after  carrying  the   works  on  Bun- 
ker Hill.     There  were    less  than   five   thousand 
Americans  in  this  battle,  on   the  27th  of  Aug- 
ust, of  which  number  the  army  lost  some  eleven 
hundred,  and  the  most  of  those,  prisoners.     The 
estimate  goes  that  nearly  two  thirds  of  all  who 
were    engaged    were    under    Lord    Stirling,    on 
the  American  right,  the   greater  part  of  whom 
effected    their    retreat   to   the    camp   in    perfect 
safety.       The    prisoners    taken    comprised    the 
small  parties  at  the  pass  on  the  Jamaica  road, 
who  were  captured  by  Clinton  before  daybreak, 
and  the  body  under  Gen.  Sullivan,  who  found 


196 


GEN.   ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


fi' 


*  .? 


themselves  suddenly  beset  on  one  side  by  the 
Hessians,  and  on  the  other  by  the  British,  un- 
der Clinton,  who  had  stolen  around  and  fallen 
upon  their  rear. 

The  enemy,  instead  of  pushing  forward  at 
the  moment  of  victory,  contented  themselves  with 
sitting  down  before  the  American  defences,  and 
at  once  began  to  erect  batteries  from  which 
to  assail  them.  Clinton  fell  to  this  work  with 
energy,  on  the  very  next  night  after  the  battle. 
On  that  same  night,  too,  Wasnington  and  Put- 
nam silently  removed  their  camp,  with  all  its 
provisions,  equipage,  ammunition,  and  general  ac- 
-jompaniments,  and  went  over  the  river.  There 
were  nine  thousand  men  to  be  got  across,  and 
it  must  all  be  done  in  a  few  hours,  and  in 
perfect  silence.  Washington  proved  himself 
equal  to  so  wonderful  a  task  ;  one  which  has 
rarely  been  equalled,  certainly  never  surpassed, 
in  the  annals  of  successful  or  unsuccessful  war. 
The  British  sentinels  descried  the  American 
rear-guard  crossing  over  in  the  midst  of  the  fog, 
just  as  the  day  broke  in  the  east.  The  latter 
were  clear  out  of  reach  of  the  enemy's  guns, 
and  had  eluded  them  in  a  way  they  least  ex- 


OPERATIOXS   IN   NEW   YORK. 


107 


The  entire  Americfin  army,  lliorefoir,  now  lay 
concentrated  in  New  York.  Governor's  It^lancl 
was  abandoned,  and  ail  the  troops  were  called 
in.  The  British  possessed  themselves  of  the 
deserted  positions  on  Long  Island  witliont  any 
delay,  and  thus  the  two  armies  were  separated 
only  by  the  narrow  breadth  of  East  River,  at 
the  farthest  pomt  not  more  than  a  half  mile 
across. 

17* 


M  umi' 


li,'\  ? 


H 


B'rit 


i  I 


CHAPTER    X. 

RETREAT   OF   THE  AMERICAN   ARMY. 

ALONG  line  of  fortifications  was  at  once 
erected  by  the  British  on  Long  Island. 
A  portion  of  tlieir  fleet  sailed  around  and 
entered  the  Sound  at  its  eastern  extremity,  but 
the  main  body  of  it  remained  at  anchor  not  far 
from  Governor's  Island,  to  operate  in  the  direction 
of  either  the  East  or  Hudson  river,  as  the  case 
might  be. 

Washington's  quick  eye  saw  what  was  the 
enemy's  object,  at  a  glance.  They  intended  to 
cut  off  his  communication  with  the  back  country, 
and  by  surrounding  him  and  his  army  where  they 
then  were  —  on  New  York  Island, — to  compel  a 
speedy  surrender,  and  so  bring  the  war  at  once  to 
a  close.  In  order  to  foil  the  enemy,  he  proceeded 
to  send  off  the  stores  that  were  not  immediately 
required  for  the  army.     Next  he  formed  the  army 


RETREAT   OP  THE   AMERICAN   ARMY. 


199 


into  three  divisions,  one  of  which  ••emained  to 
defend  the  eity,  which  was  placed  under  com- 
mand of  General  Putnam,  —  one  was  seiit  to 
King's  bridge,  some  distance  up  the  island,  —  and 
one  was  stationed  between  the  other  two,  so  as 
to  be  ready  to  go  to  the  help  of  eitlu;r  in  case  of 
an  attack.  Tlius  they  remained  from  the  Hth  of 
September  until  the  1:2th.  It  was  plain  that  an 
assault  was  to  be  made  very  soon,  and  a  council 
of  war  at  last  concluded  it  was  best  to  evacuate 
the  city  forthwith.  The  stores  had  already  been 
removed,  and  were  now  safe.  On  the  15th  of 
September  the  retreat  itself  began.  It  com  menced 
a  little  sooner  than  was  at  first  intended,  on  ac- 
count of  an  attack  from  the  enemy  at  Kip's  Bay, 
some  three  miles  above  the  city.  The  Americans 
who  were  stationed  thc^re  fled  in  a  cowardly  man- 
ner when  they  saw  the  enemy  approaching,  and 
the  reinforcement  of  two  brigades  sent  up  from 
the  city  by  Putnam,  likewise  turned  and  fled  as 
soon  as  they  came  in  sight  of  the  deserted  works. 
"Washington  hurried  to  the  spot  in  a  towering 
excitement,  and  with  his  flashing  sword  ordered 
the  panic-stricken  men  whom  he  met  to  turn  back 
and  give  the  enemy  battle.     But  neither  menaces 


i'  i\ 


4    ( 


200 


GEN.   ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


w  . 


nor  pcrsoiijil  example  availed.  For  himself  he 
appeared  perfeetly  reckless.  Tie  was  left  almost 
alone  wirniii  ei<^hly  yards  of  Ihe  eMcmy,  who  were 
already  hei^imiing  to  surround  him  ;  and  had  not 
Bome  of  the  soldiers  who  were  n<'ar  sprang 
forward  and  forcibly  turijed  his  horse  by  the  bridle, 
he  must  have  been  taken  prisoner. 

Upon  this  movement,  the  Americans  fell  back 
upon  Ilarlacm  Heights.  The  British  ships  —  a 
part  of  them  —  three  days  afterwards  moved 
towards  the  upper  end  of  the  island  on  the  Hud- 
son river  side,  and  anchored  opposite  Blooming- 
dale.  Putnam  retreated  last  from  the  city,  and 
of  course  was  exposed  to  a  double  danger;  he 
had  to  run  the  gauntlet  of  the  enemy  now  occu- 
pying the  main  road  on  the  easterly  oide  of  the 
island,  and  the  fire  of  the  ships  that  had  taken 
position  on  the  Hudson  at  Bloom ingdale.  He 
chose  the  latter  route  for  his  retreat,  and  began 
his  rapid  march.  It  was  an  extremely  sultry  day, 
and  the  men  were  quite  overcome  with  the  heat 
and  fatigue.  They  fell  fainting  by  the  side  of  the 
road,  as  they  hurried  on ;  they  stopped  to  slake 
their  feverish  thirst  at  the  brooks,  and  lay  down  and 
died  while  in  the  act  of  drinking.     The  exertions 


wr 


RETREAT  OP  THE   AMERICAN   ARMY. 


201 


mado  lluit  day  by  (Jt'iicral  Putnam  were  almost 
Buperhnman.  lie  pushed  liis  horse  to  llie  top  of 
his  speed,  ridiiii^  from  one  etid  of  liis  division  to 
the  Otin'r.  Thi;  animal  was  lieeked  with  foairy. 
Major  Humphreys,  his  hio«i:raplier,  who  was  with 
him  on  that  trying  oeeasion,  wrote  that  when  they 
had  nearly  reached  Bloomingdale,  an  aid-de-eamj) 
came  from  Putnam  "at  full  sjM-ed,  to  inform  the 
regiment  to  which  he  belonged  that  a  column  of 
British  infantry  was  close  upon  their  right.  The 
regiment  filed  oil'  rapidly  to  the  left,  and  their 
rear  was  fired  upon  just  as  they  had  slipped  })ast 
the  line  which  the  British  uad  now  succeeded  in 
drawing  across  from  river  to  river.  The  Colonel 
of  the  regiment  was  shot  down  and  killed  on  the 
spot.  The  other  divisions  of  the  army  had  given 
up  General  Putnam's  command  for  lost ;  audit 
was  not  until  after  dark  that  his  brigades  all  came 
in  safety  inside  the  lines.  Considering  the  many 
difficulties  wdth  which  Putnam  had  to  contend, 
his  safe  retreat  is  to  be  set  down  as  a  truly  won- 
derful performance. 

Sir  Henry  Clinton  had  hurried  over  from  Kip's 
Bay,  on  the  easterly  side,  expecting  to  cut  olf  Put- 
nam's force,  should  it  previously  have  escaped  the 


202 


GEN.  ISRAEL   PUTNAM. 


VI 


snares  set  for  it  below.  In  the  pursuit  of  this 
plan,  it  was  necessary  for  him  to  pass  along  the 
east  of  Murray  Tlili,  and  intercept  the  Americans 
at  a  point  beyond.  On  Murray  Hill  lived  a  gentle 
but  very  shrewd  Quaker  lady,  the  mother  of  the 
well-known  grammarian,  Lindley  Murray.  Gen- 
eral Putnam  sent  forward  a  message  to  her,  request- 
ing her,  when  Sir  Henry  Clinton  should  reach  her 
house,  to  detain  him  by  some  innocent  stratagem 
until  the  American  army  could  have  time  to  get 
beyond  his  reach.  The  course  of  the  latter  lay 
to  the  west  of  the  hill,  and  so  on  northwardly. 
Presently  the  British  general  came  along.  Mrs. 
Murray  was  known  to  several  of  the  odicers,  and 
it  was  thought  no  more  than  an  act  of  courtesy 
in  her  to  go  to  the  door  and  invite  them  all  in  to 
take  a  glass  of  wine.  They  were  glad  to  accept 
such  an  invitation,  and  accordingly  went  in  and 
sat  down  to  her  hospitalities.  The  ladies  present 
engaged  the  olTicers  in  agreeable  conversation,  and 
they  very  soon  became  oblivious  how  time  was 
flying.  Presently  a  negro  servant,  wiio  had  been 
stationed  by  his  mistress  on  the  top  of  the  house 
to  keep  watch,  entered  the  room  and  gave  the 
sign   previously  agreed   on.      Upon  which   Mrs. 


'f  I 


=t 


RETREAT   OF  THE   AMERICAN  ARMY. 


203 


Murray  bogged   Sir  Henry   Clinton  to  step  out 
after  her,  as  she  had  something  she  wished  to 
show  him.     He   followed   her  in   silenee   to  the 
observatory    on    the    house-top;    and    she    then 
pointed  triumphantly  to  the  retreating  column  of 
Americans  in  the  distance,  already  marching  over 
the  plains  of  Bloomingdale.    The  General  did  not 
so  much  as  stop  to  take  his  leave,  much  less  to  thank 
his  fair  hostess  for  her  hospitalities ;  but  dashed 
at  a  headlong  pace  down  the  stairs,  mounted  his 
hoFLC,  and  called  on  his  troops  to  follow  after  at 
the  top  of  their  speed.     But  his  intended  victims 
had  quite  escaped  him.     The  hospitable  ruse  of 
the  lady  had  done  its  work  well. 

The  British  under  General   Howe  were  thus  in 
full  possession  of  New  York,  a  portion  of  their 
force    occupying  the   city,   but    the    greater  part 
being  pushed  forward  to  the  upper  end  of  the 
island.     They  stretched  their  hostile  lines  across 
from  one  river  to  the  other.     Up  at  King's  bridge 
were  the  Americans,  as  strongly  fortified  as  their 
position    allowed.      Advanced    posts    were    also 
occupied  by  the  American  troops,  at  one  of  which 
General  Putnam  was  placed  in  command.     Par- 
ties of  the  enemy  appeared  in  the  plains  between 


irr 


^  p 


204 


GEN.   ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


the  two  hostile  camps,  shortly  after  the  retreat  of 
the  Americans  to  King's  bridge.  Lieut.  Col. 
Knowlton,  —  a  very  brave  young  officer  from  Con- 
necticut, who  served  at  the  rail-fence  during  the 
battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  —  came  in  and  reported  to 
the  Commander-in-chief  the  strength  of  one  of 
these  skirmishing  parties.  He  was  immediately 
ordered  to  make  a  circuit  and  gain  the  enemy's 
rear,  at  the  same  time  that  an  attack  was  made 
on  them  in  front.  The  enemy  saw  fit  to  change 
their  position  before  Knowlton  became  aware  of 
it,  and  he  fell  upon  them  rather  in  flank  than  in 
rear.  In  the  heat  of  the  conflict,  to  which  he  led 
his  men  forward  with  very  marked  bravery,  he  fell, 
pierced  with  the  enemy's  bullets.  His  wounds 
proved  mortal;  but  the  men  under  him  maintained 
their  ground,  and  finally  drove  the  British  from 
their  position  entirely.  No  one  in  the  army  felt 
the  death  of  Knowlton  more  than  General  Put- 
nam. He  was  his  particular  pet  and  favorite ;  he 
had  served  under  him  in  the  French  and  Indian 
war,  was  also  present  at  the  taking  of  Montreal, 
and  bore  a  part  in  the  memorable  hardships  attend- 
ant on  the  Havana  expedition.  He  was  born  but  a 
few  miles  above  Pom  fret,  in  the  town  of  Ashford, 


RETREAT   OF  THE   AMERICAN  ARMY 


205 


. 


and  had  risen  from  rank  to  rank  in  the  army  with 
great  rapidity.  General  Washington  lamented 
his  death  in  his  g(  «ral  orders  of  the  next  day, 
taking  the  same  occasion  to  hold  him  np  to  the 
army  as  an  example  of  bravery  well  worth  their 
emulation.  In  contrasting  the  conduct  of  the 
men  on  that  day  with  their  cow^ardly  conduct  at 
Kip's  Bay,  Washington  observed  that  this  last 
skirmish  showed  "  what  may  be  done,  where  offi- 
cers and  soldiers  will  exert  themselves." 

The  policy  of  the  British  commander  now,  as 
the  armies  lay  opposite  one  another,  was  to  bring 
on  a  general  engagement.  Washington,  however, 
was  averse  to  putting  so  much  to  hazard.  While 
he  felt  very  certain  that  in  a  pitched  battle  he 
could  hardly  expect  anything  but  defeat,  he  was 
also  quite  as  well  satisfied  that  he  had  it  in  his 
power  to  harass  the  enemy  to  the  last  extremity 
of  endurance.  Upon  this  latter,  and  only  remain- 
ing plan,  therefore,  he  had  at  last  determined. 

But    General    Howe    was   not  yet    willing  to 

give  over  all  further  eflbrts  to  tempt,  or  force,  the 

American    commander    into    the    field.      Disap- 

■pointed,  however,  in  one  way,  he  was  none  the 

less  ready  to  try  another.     Accordingly  he  set  on 

18 


If™         11.    fi  l'iJf'ff^-'"^'?'"WfW 


saBSRB 


IH 


206 


GEN.  ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


i!« 


|Uf: 


I   I 


k    * 


foot  a  plan  to  gain  their  rear,  cut  them  off  from 
all  communication  with  supplies  in  the  back  couO' 
try,  and,  having  thus  surrounded  them,  to  force 
them  to  lay  down  their  arms.  Nothing  was  more 
plausible,  in  the  way  of  a  plan,  and  the  results 
expected  from  it  would  be  very  certain  to  follow ; 
but  the  trouble  arose  in  the  attempt  to  carry  it 
out  into  practice.  Still,  Howe  was  eager  to  make 
such  an  attempt.  For  this  purpose,  he  ordered 
several  vessels  of  war  up  the  Hudson,  which 
managed  to  pass  Forts  Washington  and  Lee 
without  receiving  any  material  damage;  a  few 
days  afterwards  he  took  with  him,  in  flat  bottomed 
boats,  a  large  part  of  his  army  up  through  Hell 
Gate,  and  landed  at  Frog's  Point,  not  far  from 
the  village  of  Westchester.  This  was  about  nine 
miles  above  the  American  encampment  on  the 
heights  of  Haerlem. 

The  British  next  set  out  across  the  country  in 
the  direction  of  White  Plains.  The  American 
force  lay  stretched  along  a  line  some  dozen  miles 
in  extent,  all  the  way  from  King's  bridge  to  White 
Plains.  They  invariably  held  possession  of  the 
heights  along  the  route,  which  gave  them  every 
desirable  natural  advantage.     As  General  Howe 


RETREAT   OF  THE   AMERICAN  ARMY.  207 

had   now  disposscd   the  two  armies  by  his  new 
movement,  the  little  Bronx  river  was  all  that  lay 
between  them.     On  the  other  bank  of  Ihe  Bronx, 
and  about  a  mile  from  the  main  body,  was  posted 
Gen.   McDougall,  with  fifteen    hundred   militia. 
H^  occupied  a  hill  also,  and  it  was  easy  for  his 
men  to  wade  the  river  over  to  the  main  body,  at 
the  point  where  he  was  stationed.     Howe  deter- 
mined to  attack  this  position  of  Gen.  McDougall, 
for  which   purpose   he   despatched  one   body  of 
Hessian  troops  to  march  around  and  surprise  him 
in  rear,  while  a  second  body  of  British  and  Hes- 
sians came  up  and  assailed  him  in  front.     The 
Americans,  after  a  vigorous  resistance,  were  com- 
pelled to  give  way,  but  they  kept  up  a  spirited 
and  galling  fire  from  behind  the  stone  walls  as 
they  retreated.     Putnam  was  ordered  to  reinforce 
McDougall,  and  hastened  to  do  so ;  but  he  met 
the  latter  in  full  retreat,  and  it  was  not  judged 
proper  to  try  to  retake  the  height  from  which  his 
men  had  been  dislodged. 

Washington  expected  that  the  British  would 
follow  up  this  advantage  with  a  general  attack, 
and  he  labored  energetically  through  Ihe  night  to 
increase    the    strength    of   his    present   defences. 


m 


208 


GEN.   ISRAEL   PUTNAM. 


I  'I 


Vi 


Howe  concludrd  to  postpone  the  attack,  liovvever, 
till  another  occasion.  In  the  meantime,  on  the 
night  of  the  first  of  November,  which  was  dark 
and  opportune  for  the  purpose,  Washington  with- 
drew his  whole  army  to  a  post  about  five  miles 
distant,  whither  he  had  already  managed  to  send 
his  baggage  and  provisions.  Howe  was  not  in- 
clined to  offer  him  any  further  molestation  where 
he  was,  but  turned  his  attention  to  Forts  Wash- 
ington and  Lee,  which  the  Americans  continued 
to  hold,  much  to  the  annoyance  of  the  British, 
because  they  were  still  in  their  rear.  First  he 
made  a  demonstration  against  Fort  Independence, 
at  King's  bridge.  The  Americans  deserted  that 
fortification  as  soon  as  they  saw  the  British  ap- 
proaching, and  retreated  to  Fort  Washington.  A 
detachment  of  British  pursued,  and  took  up  a 
position  between  Fort  Washington  and  Fort  Lee; 
while  the  rest  of  the  army,  with  General  Howe  a. 
their  head,  returned  by  the  Hudson  to  New  York. 
It  was  thus  apparent  to  Washington  that  Howe 
contemplated  an  invasion  of  New  Jersey.  To 
provide  against  this,  he  ordered  General  Putnam 
to  take  command  of  all  the  troops  enlisted  from 
the  west  of  the  Hudson,  and  to  cross  the  river  at 


r 


"■w^wnn 


!^^5WiWB!PP!li|iPP"P 


■PPSHIBP 


^ 


RETREAT  OF   THE   AMERICAN   ARMY. 


209 


once.  This  he  did  on  the  8th  of  November,  and 
posted  himself  at  Ilnekensack.  Fort  Lee  was 
placed  in  the  command  of  General  Greene,  with 
power  to  defend  Fort  Washington,  which  was  on 
the  New  York  side  of  the  river.  Greene  was 
invested  with  discretionary  powers  in  relation  to 
the  defence  of  these  two  posts,  and  a  ditlerence 
of  opinion  arose  between  himself  and  Washing- 
ton as  to  the  policy  of  attempting  to  hold  them 
any  longer.  The  Commander-in-chief  believed 
the  etTort  useless,  especially  as  the  enemy  were 
concentrating  their  forces  for  an  assault  ;  but 
Greene  thought  they  should  be  held  to  the  very 
last,  and  proceeded  to  strengthen  Fort  Washing- 
ton accordingly.  He  placed  Colonel  McGaw  in 
command  there,  with  what  he  considered  an  ad- 
equate force  to  defend  the  place.  On  Ihe  l/)th  of 
November,  McGaw  received  a  summons  from 
Gen.  Howe  to  surrender,  threatening,  ii  ne  did  not, 
that  the  gjirrison  should  be  put  to  the  sword. 
McGaw  refused,  and  sent  a  despatch  across  the 
river  to  Greene,  informing  him  of  his  situation. 
Greene  in  turn  forwarded  the  intelligence  to  Gen- 
eral Washington,  who  was  at  Hackcnsack  with 
Putnam.     Washington  hastened  to  Fort  Lee,  and, 

18* 


210 


GEN.    ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


L 


not  findinp^  Oroono  thero,  pushed  in  the  night 
across  the  river  to  the  other  fort.  lie  met  Green 
and  Putnam  in  the  river,  on  the  way  back,  with 
the  news  that  the  garrison  would  hold  out  with- 
out any  difficulty.  Accordingly  all  three  went 
back  to  Fort  Lee.  On  the  very  next  day,  how- 
ever, the  British  g(meral  stormed  Fort  Washing- 
ton and  put  the  garrison  to  the  sword,  as  he  had 
threatened.  On  that  single  day,  three  thousand 
of  the  Americans  perished. 

It  w^as  worse  than  useless  now  to  attempt  to 
hold  Fort  Lee,  and  Washington  directed  the 
immediate  removal  of  the  ammunition  and  stores. 
They  set  to  work  to  accomplish  this  as  hastily  as 
possible  ;  but  before  they  could  fairly  get  clear  of 
danger,  they  found  themselves  nearly  hemmed  in 
by  a  British  force  under  Lord  Connvallis,  on  the 
tract  between  the  Hudson  and  Hackensack  rivers. 

They  managed  to  secure  their  escape  across  the 
Hackensack,  but  it  was  at  a  great  risk ;  and  even 
then,  they  left  their  cannon,  tents,  and  a  large 
quantity  of  stores  behind  them,  which  in  their 
precipitate  flight  they  were  compelled  to  relinquish. 
And  now  they  were  hardly  better  off  than  before; 
for  parallel  with  the  Hackensack  runs  the  Passaic 


a-  J! 


r.ETREAT   OF  THE   AMERICAN   ARMY.  211 


for  a  long  distance.     The  British  could  again  horn 
them  in,  if  they  followed  up  the  pursuit;  and  to 
avoid   the    same   danger   the   second    time,  they 
effected  another  hasty  retreat  across  the  Passaic. 
Now  began  to  set  in  the  dark  days  of  the  Rev- 
olution.    The  militia  were  discouraged  with  noth- 
ing but  retreat  and   defeat,  and  left  the  army  in 
large  numbers  as  fast  as  their  terms  of  enlistment 
expired.     The  military  stores  amounted  to  scarcely 
anything  worth  mentioning.     It  was  late  in  No- 
vember, and  bleak  winter  was  close  at  hand.     Not 
more  than  three  thousand  men  in  all  still  remained 
under  the  standard  of  Washington.      All  around 
them  were  disaffected  persons  and  open  loyalists; 
and  the  army  had  thus  a  double  foe  to  fight,  and 
a  double  danger  to  overcome.     One  by  one  the 
cities  of  New  Jersey  fell  into  the  enemy's  hands,— 
Newark, New  Brunswick,  Princeton,  and  Trenton; 
they  took  possession  of  the  country  as  fast  as  the 
Americans  retreated.     And  when  that  "phantom 
of  an  army  "  —  as  Hamilton  called  it,  — that  still 
clung  to   Washington,  crossed  the  Delaware  on 
the  eighth  day  of  December,  there  was  nothing 
but  that  single  river  between   the   over-running 
enemy  and  the  city  where  the  Continental  Con- 


wmmnm 


VP 


212 


GEN.   ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


gross  daily  mot  to  consult  for  ilic  fntnro  of  tho 
ii'.itioii  that  was  not  yot  })()rn.  The  brothers  Ilowe 
—  the  (lonoral  and  tho  Admiral  —  seemed  to  have 
everything  their  own  way.  They  held  the  entire 
country  from  Rhode  Island  to  the  Delaware,  and 
none  knew  how  long  before  they  would  strike  the 
blow,  so  mueh  dreaded,  against  Philadelphia  itself. 
They  also  scattered  proclamations  all  over  the 
land,  especially  among  those  who  had  not  yet 
fully  decided  to  eml  '•ace  the  cause  of  America 
against  England  ;  and  in  these  proclamations  they 
freely  offered  ))ardon  and  favor  to  all  who,  within 
a  j^ivon  time,  would  take  the  oath  of  allegiance 
to  the  King.  A  great  number  embraced  the  offer 
thus  made,  and  bv  so  much  of  course  darkened 
the  prospects  of  those  who  were  still  hoping  and 
toiling  for  the  ultimate  independence  of  their 
country. 

General  Putnam  stood  by  his  greac  Command- 
er's side  through  the  whole  of  this  dark  disaster, 
unshaken  in  his  resolution  to  do  all  that  he  could 
do  for  his  native  land.  When  others  faltered,  he 
never  hesitated  or  swerved.  Upon  /lim  Washing- 
ton knew  that  he  could  depend,  even  if  all  others 
finally  failed  him. 


RETREAT   OF   THE   AMERICAN   ARMY. 


213 


Congress    having    rcsolvrd    that    Philadelphia 
should  be  defended  to  tiio  hist  extremity,  Putnam 
was  directed  to  enter  upon  the  work  of  erecting 
the  proper  fortifications.     "  Upon  the  salvation  of 
Philadelphia,"    wrote    Washington,    "  our   cause 
almost  depends."      His  selection  of  Putnam  to 
take  supreme  command  there,  suiFiciently  attests 
the  high  confidence  he  reposed  in  his  ability  and 
character.    lie  wrote  to  the  President  of  Congress, 
on  the  9th  of  December,  that  "a  communication 
of  lines  and  redoubts  from  the  Delaware  to  the 
Schuylkill,  on  the  north  entrance  of  tlie  city,  might 
be  formed;"  that  "every  step  should  be  taken  to 
collect  a  force,  not  only  from   Pennsylvania,  but 
from  the  neighboring  states ; "  and  that  the  com- 
munication by  water  should  be  kept  open  for  sup- 
plies.    Putnam  found  a  disat]'e(  ted  class  of  people, 
—  and  people  of  wealth   and  influence,  too, — in 
the  city,  against  whom  it  was  very  trying  for  him 
to  set  up  his  own  authority,  with   any  hope  of 
success:  yet  he  did  succeed  in  bringing  order  out 
of  disorder,  and  by  his  sleepless  energy  established 
the  authority  of  the   American  arms.      He  was 
summoned  before  Congress  to  confer  with   that 
body  respecting  the  city's  safety,  and  in  obedience 


Wl[ 


i' 


m 


i  'f  1 


31  r   * 


214 


GEN.  ISRAEL   PUTNAM. 


to  his  sucrcfostions  thoy  resolved  to  adjourn,  and 
did  adjourn  on  the  l:2tli  to  meet  again  on  the  !20th 
of  December,  in  Baltimore. 

He  at  once  j)laced  the  city  under  martial  law, 
as  he  had  previously  done  at  the  time  h(;  held 
supreme  command  in  New  York.  Yet  he  was 
extremely  prudent  about  making  any  display 
of  his  authority,  too;  doing  nothing  that  would 
cause  needless  irritation  on  the  part  of  the  disaf- 
fected inhal)itants,  and  using  every  proper  means 
to  conciliate  their  confidence  and  good  will,  lie 
labored  to  complete  the  defences,  with  all  his 
energy;  so  arduous  were  his  exertions,  that  his 
health  for  a  time  gave  way  under  them.  He  had, 
in  fact,  a  double  duty  to  perform  ;  to  erect  de- 
fences against  the  enemy  without,  and  to  secure 
himself  from  an  enemy  equally  formidable  within 
the  city.  It  was  while  General  Putnam  was  thus 
engaged,  that  Washington  boldly  moved  forward 
and  struck  two  decisive  blows,  —  at  Trenton,  and 
then  at  Princeton,  —  which  suddenly  electrified 
and  energized  the  whole  army  and  country.  It 
was  a  part  of  the  plan  to  have  Putnam  cooperate 
in  these  brilliant  exploits  of  the  Commander-in- 
chief,    both  with   a   portion  of  his   Philadelphia 


RETREAT   OF  THP    AMERICAN   ARMY. 


215 


It 

ite 
11- 
lia 


troops  and  a  body  of  Poiiiisylvania  militia;  but 
the  fear  of  a  snddrn  rising  among  tlu;  loyalists  of 
the  city  made  such  a  design  impracticable.  Two 
letters  from  Washington  to  Putnam,  one  just  on 
the  eve  of  these  bold  enterprisers,  indicate  very 
plainly  what  were  the  feelings  of  the  Comtnander- 
in-chief  at  that  time.  In  the  first,  he  advises 
General  Putnam  to  rt^move  the  public  stores  to  a 
place  of  greater  satety.  as  the  enemy  had  said 
they  would  enter  the  town  within  twenty  days; 
but  in  the  other,  written  some  days  afterwards,  he 
expresses  the  oj)inion  tiiat  the  British  are  seized 
with  a  panic,  and  that  he  will  yet  be  able  to  drive 
them  out  of  the  Jerseys  altogether. 

Finding  that  affairs  Avere  thus  taking  a  favor- 
able turn,  he  ordered  Putnam  into  the  field  again. 
He  was  directed,  on  the  5th  of  January,  1777,  to 
march  the  troops  under  his  command  to  Cross- 
wick,  a  few  miles  southeast  of  Trt^nton,  where  he 
iTiight  be  able  both  to  keep  a  strict  watch  on  the 
enemy  and  to  obtain  any  advantage  that  offered. 
Washington's  plan  was  to  harass  the  British  army 
by  every  method  within  the  reach  of  his  ingenuity. 
Putnam  was  ordered  to  keep  spies  out  continu- 
tilly,  so  that  he  might  not  be  taken  by  surprise; 


m 


m 


^    Mi 


i  v» 


n  i 


*  , 


I.I 


,  * 


.._!, 


I 


21G 


(lEN.  ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


niid  also  io  inuk<'  it.  appear  to  IIjc  enemy,  by  sueli 
iiu'ans  as  lie  could,  thai  liis  iVnce  was  a  j^i^reat  deal 
stronger  than  it  really  was.  Iiiasniueh  as  the  IJril- 
isli  seemed  iiielined  to  make  no  deiiionstralioii 
against  them,  but  rather  eoneenirated  for  the  re- 
mainder of  the  winter  in  New  Hrunswiek  and 
Aiuboy,  Putnam  was  soon  after  t)rdered  into  win- 
ter (|uart(Ts  at  Princeton,  which  was  some  lifteen 
miles  distant.  He  had  l)nt  a  handful  of  troops 
with  him  at  the  most  ;  and  iiad  lie  been  attacked 
in  his  position  at  any  tinu*,  would  have  been  forced 
to  retreat  without  olli'ring  battle. 

He  employed  every  device  to  conceal  from  tho 
eniMuy  the  actual  i)ancity  of  his  numbers.  In  the 
battle  of  l*rinceton,  C'apt.  IMcPherson,  a  Scotch 
ofbcer, had  received  a  wound  which  it  was  thought 
\yas  about  to  terminate  fatally.  Until  Putnam 
quartered  in  the  town,  however,  he  had  not  even 
had  mtulical  attendance,  it  being  considered  that, 
as  he  was  likely  io  die  any  day,  it  was  therefore 
quite  useless;  but  Putnam  provided  him  wath  a 
careful  physician,  as  soon  as  liis  case  was  known, 
who  did  all  that  he  could  for  his  relief.  Heing  in 
his  presence  one  day,  the  Scotchman  prot(>sted 
his  gratitude,  and  a:>ked  Putuani  to  what  country 


RETREAT   OF  TUE  AMERICAN    ARMY. 


217 


ho  boiorif^od.  "  I  am  a  Yaiikcr,"  said  llio  goncral. 
"  T  (lid  not  Ix'lit'vc,"  answered  tlie  sulierer,  "  that 
there  could  be  so  nnieh  "(oodness  in  an  AnuTicran, 
or  in  anybody  l)ut  a  Sctotchnian."  The  poor  fel- 
low thought  hiinselt"  about  to  dii",  at  length,  and 
begged  that  a  British  oflicer,  a  friend  of  liis,  might 
be  sent  for,  undiT  a  Hag  of  truce,  to  come  and 
hel|)  him  make  his  will.  Putnam  wished  to  gratify 
the  dying  man's  recjuest,  but  it  wotdd  not  answer 
to  let  a  l^ritish  ollici^r  sei;  what  a  meagre  for(te  h(; 
had  around  him.  Indeed,  to  tell  the  truth,  Ik;  had 
but  fifty  men  in  the  town  at  the  time,  all  the  rest 
of  his  men  having  been  sent  out  to  protect  the 
country  around.  Putnam's  mother  wit,  however, 
was  as  ready  as  ever  to  serve  him.  lie  sent  out 
a  flag  of  truce  with  the  errand,  enjoining  upon 
the  messenger  not  to  r(;turn  with  the;  British  ofTicor 
mUU  after  dark.  The  moment  evening  came  on, 
therefore,  Putnam  had  all  the  windows  in  llu! 
college  buildings  illuminated,  as  wt^U  as  those  in 
the  other  vacant  houses  of  the  town.  He  like- 
wise kept  his  little  scpiad  of  fifty  men  marching 
up  and  down  the  streets  contiimally,  and  making 
as  much  of  a  martial  tlisplay  as  possible.  Under 
such  highly  imposing  circumstances  was  the  Brit- 

19 


rw 


liitj 


!i!i    I 


W::' 


»      ; 


\l^.^ 


ll  •  ^m 


V  ,  i 


' 


S    I 


218 


GEN.   ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


iah  officer  conducted  to  the  quarters  of  his  Scotch 
friend,  and  finally  sulTered  to  depart.  When  he 
got  back  to  the  British  camp  again,  he  reported 
that  General  Putnam  couhl  not  have  under  hia 
command  a  force  of  less  than  five  thousand  men. 

To  protect  the  friends  of  the  American  cause 
from  the  persecutions  of  loyalists,  was  a  duty  that 
during  this  time  engaged  much  of  the  labor  of 
Putnam,  and  likewise  exercised  all  the  judgment, 
delicacy,  tact,  and  prudence,  of  which  he  was  the 
possessor.  The  rest  of  the  winter  was  occupied 
chiefly  with  skirmishes.  Col.  Neilson  was  sent, 
on  the  17th  of  February,  with  a  hundred  and  fifty 
men,  to  surprise  a  party  of  loyalists  that  had  for- 
tified themselves  at  Lawrence's  Neck.  There 
were  sixty  of  the  other  party,  belonging  to  what 
was  called  Cortlandt  Skinner's  brigade.  They 
were  all  taken  prisoners.  Major  Stockton,  their 
commander,  was  sent  to  Philadelphia  by  General 
Putnam,  in  irons. 

Not  long  after  this,  another  party  of  foragers 
was  reported  to  be  scouring  the  country,  and 
Major  Smith  was  sent  forward  to  hang  on  their 
rear  until  Putnam  himself  should  come  up.  But 
the  Major  was  a  little  impatient,  or  ambitious  of 


RETREAT   OF  THE  AMERICAN   ARMY. 


219 


renown,  and  fell  upon  the  party,  which  he  had 
already  enticed  into  a  snare,  putting  them  to  rout 
and  carrying  off  several  prisoners,  horses,  and 
baggage-wagons. 

Thus  the  winter  of  1770-7  passed  away.  In 
the  time  he  had  been  in  New  Jersey,  General 
Putnam  had  taken  a  thousand  prisoners,  and  at 
least  a  hundred  and  twenty  baggage  wagons.  In 
one  skirmish  he  captured  ninety-six  wagons,  laden 
with  provisions  for  the  enemy.  Fie  likewise  by 
his  prudence  and  firm,  but  conciliatory  manner, 
added  great  strength  to  the  American  cause,  and 
left  the  Jerseys  at  last,  which  he  did  in  May,  in  a 
very  different  .condition  from  that  in  which  they 
were,  when  he  first  set  foot  upon  their  soil.  Few 
men,  in  the  army  or  out,  could  have  performed  the 
service  for  which  the  Commander-in-chief  thoutrht 
him  in  all  respects  so  admirably  qualified. 


i| 


^ 


M 


CHAPTER     XI. 


IN   TIIH   IIKIIILANDS. 


II K  Britisli  wore  niaiumvring  just  at 
I  this  iimi*  so  strangely,  lluit  Washing- 
JL.  ion  was  liardly  able  to  (Ictcrininc  what 
object  they  really  liad  in  \'w\V  next.  'JMiey 
had  II  t'oree  in  Canada,  under  l^urgoyne,  with 
which  it  was  tiionght  IIowc  wiis  anxious  to 
open  a  couuuunication  by  the  Hudson  River; 
then  it  was  suspected  tliat  tlie  Canada  troops 
would  go  round  to  New  York  by  sea,  and  thus 
ellect  a  union  with  the  troops  under  Howe 
without  risking  an  att(  mpt  by  land  ;  and  then 
again,  in  the  month  .>f  July,  it  was  a  greater 
mystery  still  in  wl/ich  direction  Howe  was  go- 
ing, when  he  set  sail  with  his  army  from  the 
port  of  New  York.  All  these  contingencies 
the  Atuerican  couuuandcr  was  obliged  care- 
fully to  guard  against. 


, 


-■♦^'—  -Vi-tP 


^^r^m 


^rrim^fimif^mimmmmmw^ 


IN  TIIK  HIGHLANDS. 


221 


To  litis  (Mid,  it  was  rn'C(\ssiiry,  first,  tFiat  the 
fortress  of  Ticoiidcroij^ii  should  Uv  slrcM^'thmcd, 
and  j)rovi(lc(l  against  a  surprise!  ;  second,  that 
iUr  passers  in  the  Ilii^dilands  should  be  so  guard- 
ed as  to  pn^vent  any  union  of  the  two  hostile 
armies  by  way  of  tiie  river;  and  third,  that  the 
important  post  of  Piiihuh-lphia  slionld  be  de- 
ftuided  to  the  very  hist  extrcrnily.  I^iiiongh, 
one  would  think,  to  engage  all  the  energies 
of  any  eommandcir. 

Th(*  ITighlands  were  to  be  defended  at  all 
cost  and  hazard.  An  ingenious  method  had 
already  hvv.n  devised  by  (jenerais  (Jrerne  and 
Knox  to  obstruct  tln!  passage  of  IIm;  enemy's 
ships  lip  the  river,  by  means  of  a  heavy  chain, 
supj/orted  at  regular  intervals  by  floating  logs 
of  wood,  and  stretched  across  from  oik!  shore 
to  the  ■  other.  A  couple  of  armed  vessels  were 
also  to  be  stationed  so  as  to  rake  the  enemy's 
ships,  whenever  they  might  approach.  Arnold 
had  been  previously  entrusted  with  tlu;  com- 
mand on  the  river,  on  account  of  Washington's 
sympathy  for  the  treatment  with  which  Con- 
gress had  visited  him  ;  but  as  his  own  jirivate 
affairs    compelled    him   to    be    in    Philadelj)hia, 

19* 


222 


(;KN.    ISKAKL    niTNAM. 


'■I 


'!< 


:i- 


itf  t 


II' 


Ills  conimiiiHl  wiis  irMiisrcrrrd  io  ( li'ii.  rnliiMiii, 
nn<l  llic  latlrr  took  posi  ui  llic  lirsul  of  (lir  iiriiiy 
of  \Uv  HiLjhlands,  in  \\\r  iiioiilli  of  May,  1777. 
'I'hc  cxccssivr  labor  and  exposure  wliicli  wan 
r('(|uir('(l  of  (icii.  Piiliiani,  wliiN*  cncrijjrlically 
carryiiii;  owl  ilie  plans  lor  IIh"  projection  of  tin; 
river,  are  llionij^lil  lo  liav<*  hroni^ht  on  the  snd- 
d(Mi  assault  oi'  dis<'ase  which,  not  much  inoro 
than  two  years  later,  coinpclled  his  eonntrymeii 
\o  disp«Misc  with  his  active  services  ulto^ether. 
The  widtjj  o(  the  river  where  t!ie  cahle  was  to 
be  thrown  across,  was  live  hundred  and  forty 
yards.  The  cabl«'  was  not.  to  be  stretched  over 
in  a  straiijht  line  from  shore  to  shore,  but  dia«j;- 
onally,  in  t)rd«T  to  oiler  ;i  nu)n"  cllectivi;  resist- 
ance to  the  current  o(  the  river.  Workinij^  early 
and  late  about  business  of  this  character,  being 
out  in  all  weathers,  and  often  standinij;  in  tlio 
water  for  hours  togetluT,  was  (juite  too  much 
for  th(*  constitution  of  a  man  who  did  not  stop 
to  consider  that  \\c  was  ij^rowing  old,  and  finally 
resulted   in  s(>rious  and  irreparable  mischief. 

Hardly  had  he  entered  uj)on  his  new  com- 
mand, when  AVashiui^ton  proposed  to  him  a 
sudden  descent  upon  the  enemy  who  were  forti- 


mm 


of  I  ho 

r   siul- 

iMoro 


diiif^- 


bcing 


IN   TIIK   lUOMFiANDM. 


223 


f\v(\   at  Kind's   l)ii(l«^r  ;  llic   Icflrr  v\  rittcri   l»y   llic 
hiUrr  (Ml   llic  Huhjrcl,   is   full   of  iiitcrrst,  ;iii(i   Icin 
llic    rnidcr    itilo    llic    HiM-cnhitioiis    of    IIk;    ^rcnt 
num'H    niiii(i    in    those    tryint,'    fiiiics.       H\\\.    Ww. 
conlradiclory  coiidncf,  of  iUv.  ciMMriy  diverted  hiH 
ttiteiition    I'rorri    tliis  (h-si^Mi,  and    drew   it,  rather 
to    the    preservation    of  the    important,    posts    fie 
Btill    held.       As    soon,    then,    as    tfi<^    J^ritish    eri- 
cariiprnent,  at   Hrnnswiek  was  hrokcn  iij),  Wash- 
ington  ma(h;  ready  to  o|)|)os(;  their  marcth   npon 
Pliiladelpliia,  which  ho  had  reason   to  think  was 
tho    (lire(!tion  of    their   next    movement.     In    or- 
der  to  do  this   the   moH!  elleetnally,  h(;   sent,  for 
th<^  whoh',  of  Putnam's  forec^  except  a  thonsaruJ 
men.    These,  with  th(^  rniHtia  of  ihv.  region,  were 
thought    to  be;  sufhcient  to  prote(;t  liis  position. 
Then     it    was    reported    to     (Um.    Putnam    that 
Burgoyne  was   marching  dow^n    npon  him  from 
the  direction  of  C'anada;  and  to  provide  against 
this,  h(;  was  obhged   to  liold    four  regiments  in 
readiness  to  march  at  a  moment's  warning.     'J'he 
great  danger  on   the   Hudson  just   then   seemed 
to    be,   that    Burgoyne    from    above    and    Howe 
from  below  would  succeed  in   uniting   their   for- 
ces; and   that  was  the  plan  which  it  was  very 


frPf 


m 


001 


GEN.  ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


i   ., 


cvi(](Mii  they  liad  lor  Ji  long  time  (MilcrtsiiiKHl. 
Wiisliiii«rtoM  wrote  liiiii  on  the  Jstof  July  tlniH: 
"No  time  is  to  be  lost.  Miieli  may  be  at  ytake, 
and  I  am  persuiidcd,  if  (Jen.  Ilowe  is  going 
up  the  river,  he  will  maUe  a  rapid  and  vigorous 
pnsli  to  gain  the  Iligldand   passes." 

For  a  long  time  matters  were  in  a  state  of 
perplexing  uncertainty.  It  recpiired  all  the  vigi- 
lance, and  all  the  energy  of  a  most  skilful  and 
prudent  giMUM'al,  to  guard  properly  against  rash- 
ness on  the  one  hand  and  negligence  on  the 
other.  The  season  wore  on  in  this  way,  and 
notliinc:  of  a  decided  character  was  undertaken 
duriniif  the  sunuuer.  Putnam  celebrated  the 
first  aimiversary  of  the  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence in  the  Highlands,  in  a  rather  novel  style. 
A  public  feast  was  made,  toasts  were  drunk, 
and  patriotic  feelings  were  appealed  to.  Guns 
were  also  fired  in  commemoration  of  so  great 
an  event,  and  just  at  sundown  a  huge  rock  was 
thrown  over  a  precipice  with  a  crashing  sound 
like  that  of  thunder,  into  the  wooded  valley 
below.  The  rock  had  stood  just  on  the  edge 
of  the  precipice,  and  weighed  several  hundred 

toilii 


IN  THE    IIlOIILANrS. 


225 


tjiinrd. 

i  tluis: 

,  ytako, 

going 


gorous 


ate  of 
le  vigi- 
iil  and 
it  rash- 
oii  the 
ly,  and 
L'rtakcn 
cd  the 
lepend- 
il  style. 

drunk, 

Guns 

0  great 

>ck  was 

;  sound 

valley 
le  edge 
lundred 


At    l(Mig<h    'J'iconderoga   was    abandoned    to 
the  enemy;  and  th(;n  corntn<*n(u'd  in  good  earn- 
est  IIk;    niareii   rf   the  Brilish  downward    u|K)n 
the  country  around  Ihe    Hudson.     Putnam  was 
ordered,  on  tjie  receipt  of  \\\o.  news,  to  forward 
a   part  of  his  f()rc<;   nortiiward   lo   the  succor  of 
Gen.   S(thuyler;  and    he   also   despatched    Major 
Bnrr,  who  was   still   a   member  of   his    military 
stafl',    into    Connecticut    to    collect   recruits    and 
send  them  on  with  all  possible  haste  to  Albany. 
Washington  ]^;i(\  by  this  time  moved  up  nearer 
to  the  Hudson,  on  the  Jersey  side.     Gen.  Sulli- 
van and  Lord  Stirling  were  sent  over  into    Put- 
nam's camp,  to  be  ready  to  move  either  to  the 
east    or  west,    as    circumstances    should    render 
it    necessary.       Howe    had    just    then    set    sail 
from   New  York,  and  gone   to  sea,  taking  with 
him    a   large    part   of  the    force    from    the    city. 
The  anxious  inquiry  therefore  was,   Where  had 
he  gone  ?     It  might  be  to  Philadelphia,  — and  it 
might   be  to  Boston.     And  it  was  necessary  to 
keep  the  troops  in  readiness  to  repel  his  attack 
upon   either   place.      Howe  had  sent  a   letter   to 
Burgoyne   by  a   young  American,  which   he  no 
doubt   intended   should   fall   into   the    hands  of 


I 


■:i 


!| 


('ill 


f'^ 


I.  r 


t  f 


i  |! 


226 


GEN.   ISRAEL   PUTNAM. 


Gen.   Putnam.     The  letter  spoke  of  the   fleet's 

being   about   to    sail    for   "B n,"    evidently 

meaning  Boston.  Washington  got  the  letter 
from  Putnam,  and  felt  all  the  more  sure  that 
the  whole  was  only  meant  to  deceive  him ;  he 
was  confident  now,  that  the  enemy  had  sailed 
from  New  York  for  the  purpose  of  taking 
Philadelphia.  And  he  made  ready  to  march 
with  his  forces  at  once  in  that  direction. 

The  fleet  made  its  app<  irance  off  the  Dela- 
ware cape,  sure  enough,  and  W{\shington  sent 
ordrrs  across  the  Hudson  to  Gen.  Putnam  to 
forward  even  more  troops  than  was  before  ar- 
ranged for,  which  now  left  his  post  in  a  very 
precarious  condition.  But  on  the  very  n(;xt  day 
the  troops  were  sent  back  again,  the  enemy 
having  opened  a  new  game  by  which  to  deceive 
the  American  Commander,  and  keep  him  in 
continual  suspense.  And  in  this  way  the  sultry 
season  was  passed,  the  troops  marching  this 
way  and  that  about  the  country,  and  wearying 
themselves  down  as  much  with  the  fatigue  as 
they  could  have  done  in  the  same  time  with 
active  and  constant  service. 

It  was   early  in   the    month   of   August   that 


IN   THE   HIGHLANDS. 


227 


one   Fidmnnd  Palmor,  an  ofTicer  in  a  company 
of  tories,  was  caught  within  tlie  American  lines 
as  a  spy,  and  carried  before  Gen.  Putnam.     Sir 
Henry  Clinton,  who  commanded  af  New   York 
city,  at  once  iieard  of  Pahner's  arrest,  and  sent 
a  vessel  up   the  river  with    a    flag   of   truce,   to 
demand  his  person  as  an  ollicer  in  the  English 
service.      A    boat    landed    from    the    vessel,    a 
messenger   leaped  on   shore,  and  came  into  the 
camp   and   delivered    Clinton's    message.      Clin- 
ton threatened,  if  the  spy  was  not  given  up,  to 
visit     the     Americans   with     speedy    vengeance. 
Putnam   did    not    hesitate    a    moment,    but    sat 
down    to    his    table,    and    instantly    wrote    the 
following  reply  to  Clinton's  haughty  message: 


sultry 


"Head-quarters,  AnonsT  7,  1777. 
"Edmund  Palmer,  an  officer  in  the  enemy's 
service,  was  taken  as  a  spy  lurking  within  our 
lines;  he  has  been  tried  as  a  spy,  condemned  as 
a  spy,  and  shall  be  executed  as  a  spy,  and  the 
flag  is  ordered  to  depart  immediately. 

"ISRAEL  PUTNAM." 
"P.  S.  lie  has  been  accordingly  executed." 


AM 

m 

ill  i 


The  oak  tree  was  standing  not  many  years 


ffili 


' ' ;.  'i  I 


I        ! 


228 


QEN.  ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


np^o,  at  PooksUill,  from  onn  of  i\u\  branchoa  of 
which  the  tory  spy  met  his  fate. 

Uii<h)ul)te(lly  (Mintoii  had  sent  out  Pahner  to 
obtain  inforniatioii  respect iiii^  the  strength  of  Put- 
nam's position.  Tliis  more  than  ever  h'd  to  the 
belief  that  it  was  his  intention  to  cut  his  way 
through  the  Iliglihmd  jiasses,  and  join  his  forces 
with  those  of  Burgoyne.  General  Putnam's  camp 
was,  as  already  mentioned,  in  tlie  vilhige  of  Peeks- 
kill,  which  is  on  the  east  side  of  the  Hudson.  On 
the  western  side,  and  a  few  miles  above,  were 
Forts  Clinton  and  Montgomery,  separated  by  a 
narrow  stream,  but  forming  substantially,  how- 
ever, a  single  fortification.  They  Were  planted 
on  very  high  hills,  inaccessibh;  on  the  river  side, 
and  reported  by  those  who  selected  the  position 
to  be  almost  impossible  for  an  enemy  to  reach  in 
their  rear.  General  George  Clinton,  who  was  at 
the  time  Governor  of  New  York,  commanded 
them  in  person,  having  about  six  hundred  of  the 
militia  of  the  State  under  him.  Fort  Indepen- 
dence was  on  the  eastern  side,  some  three  miles 
below  these,  while  Fort  Constitution  was  built  on 
an  island  near  the  same  shore  of  the  river,  and 
about  nine  miles  above  Fort  Independence.     Put- 


IN  THE   HIGHLANDS. 


229 


Put- 


nam had  rommanfl  of  tho  wholo  of  this  region, 
with  it«  fortifications,  and  it  wus  iiis  sinf]fl<'  tfiHk 
to  seo  that  tho  British  from  ix'Iow  did  not  forcr  a 
passage  thron<^li,  and  thns  nnitc  with  thv-  army  of 
Burgoynt!  which  was  working  (h)wn  from  ai)ove. 

At  this  time  the  (icncral  formed  th(;  hold  design 
of  making  a  sndden  descent  npon  the  British  at 
Staten  Island,  Jersey  City,  York  Ishmd  and  I^ong 
Island.  lie  was  well  informed  of  the  enemy's 
strength  at  all  these  places,  and  felt  snre  of  strik- 
ing ihern  a  staggering  l)iow.  This  design  was  to 
be  carried  out  in  the  month  of  Se|)teml)er.  But 
"Washington  was  obliged  to  draw  away  so  large 
a  part  of  his  soldiery,  that  for  the  present  Putnam 
reluctantly  gave  over  the  execntion  of  his  plan. 

Sir  Henry  Clinton  then  took  advantage  of  the 
existing  state  of  affairs  to  send  two  thousand  men, 
in  four  different  divisions,  into  New  Jersey,  for 
the  purpose  of  connnitting  depredations.  Wash- 
ington was  in  the  neighborhood  of  Philadelphia, 
and  Putnam  had  not  men  enough  to  ofTer  them 
any  opposition  ;  and  thus  the  conntry  lay  entirely 
oj)en  to  their  ravages.  The  foraging  parties  suc- 
ceeded in  driving  off  large  numbers  of  cattle,  with 
which  they  returned  in  safety  to  New  York.    Put- 

20 


■If 


.«.  .      , 


280 


QKN.    ISRAEL   PUTNAM. 


if 


nam  did  sjmkI  (Jrii.  IMcDowu^all  in  pursuit  oi  tliom, 
a»  soon  as  hr  lirard  of  Ihcir  condiu'l  ;  but,  lio 
rraclu'd  the  sconce  of  flic'  tr<)nl)l('S  too  Iat(^  to  pro- 
tect any  |)art  of  tlic  country  from  the  ('H'ects  of 
their  tliioviuij^  incursion. 

On  the  2']i\  of  Sc|)tcnd)cr,  VV^asliin^ton  nnido 
a  still  lari^cr  draft  on  Putnam's  force,  which  now 
n^lui-ed  his  conmiand  to  somethini»  more  than  a 
thousand  reliable  men.  With  these  alone  he  was 
expect«Ml  to  hold  his  own  pv)sition  in  the  Hij^h- 
lands.  'IMie  aitl  h(*  looked  for  Irom  IIm'  militia  of 
the  country  round  about,  amounted  to  hardly 
more  than   nolhinu;. 

Sir  Henry  (Clinton  was  aware  how  greatly  this 
force  had  been  thus  reduceil,  and  resolved  to  take 
advantage  of  i*.  Accordingly  he  embarked  with 
nearly  four  thousand  troops  on  the  river,  and 
reached  Tarry  town  on  the  /)th  of  October.  The 
reader  will  see  what  an  excessive  amount  of  ex- 
ertion Putnan\  was  now  obliged  to  j)ut  forth,  in 
order  to  hoKl  the  enemy  in  cheek  and  prevent  the 
contemplated  miion  of  the  army  below  with  the 
army  above.  In  the  first  place,  all  the  troops  he 
had  would  not  mnnber  more  than  half  what  the 
British  nimibered ;  and  these  were  divided  up  at 


IN   THE   IIKJIILANDS. 


231 


four  (lifTcronf  points,  —  the  two  forts  on  IIh;  wost- 
rrn  bank  of  ihv.  river,  and  llic.  two  on  th(;  caHtrrn. 
]}('si«i('s  these,  lie  must  al.o  keep  his  position  at 
Peekskiil.  Clinton  landed  at  'J'arrytown,  and 
niarelied  np  about  live  miles  into  the  country. 
Tarry  town  is  on  the  same  side  of  the  river  with 
Peekskiil,  where  lay  his  eamj). 

The  object  of  C'linton  was  rjierely  to  inislead 
the  Amc^rican  general  ;  for  on  the  same  night  he 
cpiietly  marched  his  men  back  to  Tarrytown,  and 
the  next  morning  |)assed  up  tin;  river  again  and 
landed  at  Verplanck's  Point,  which  is  only 
three  miles  below  Peekskiil.  Upon  se(;ing  their 
a|)proach,  Putnam  fell  back  upon  the  heights  in 
his  rear,  whi(;Ii  h(?  had  fortified  against  such  an 
emergency.  It  was  then  supposed,  of  course,  that 
the  British  connnander  was  directing  his  attaftk 
against  Fort  Independence,  just  above  Putnam's 
camp;  on  th<^  contrary,  he  had  his  eye  fixed  all 
thc^timeon  Forts  Clinton  and  Montgomery,  some 
six  miles  above  Fort  In(le[)endence,  on  the  other 
side.  On  that  same  evening,  therefore!,  the  British 
fleet  moved  up  nearer  Peekskiil;  while  a  force  of 
two  thousand  men  dropped  down  the  river,  landed 
at  Stony  Point — which  is  over  against  Verplanck's 


I 


232 


GEN.  ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


Point,  —  and  struck  off  through  the  mountainous 
country  early  the  next  morning  to  gain  the  rear 
of  Forts  Clinton  and  Montgomery.  They  were 
observed  from  the  western  side  of  the  river,  but  a 
dense  fog  and  the  interposition  of  the  mountains 
shut  thetn  out  from  view  soon  after,  and  no  such 
suspicion  existed  as  that  they  had  a  tliought  of 
making  a  circuit  around  the  difficult  hills  of  the 
country.  Besides,  their  boats  still  appeared  to  be 
at  Ver[)l:uick's  Point,  and  their  vessels  were  at 
Peekskill  neck. 

While  this  detachment  of  the  enemy  were  thus 
pushing  on  to  the  rear  of  the  fortresses  in  ques- 
tion, Putnam  took  a  couple  of  general  officers  with 
him,  and  went  down  towards  the  river  to  recon- 
noitre. Those  who  had  seen  the  enemy  on  the 
other  side  at  an  early  hour  of  the  morning,  sup- 
posed that  they  must  have  returned  to  their  station 
at  Verplanck's  Point,  inasmuch  as  nothing  had 
since  been  seen  of  them.  But  by  this  time  they 
were  well  on  their  way  to  the  twin  Forts  which 
they  had  resolved  to  assail.  They  were  formed 
into  two  divisions ;  one  advanced  through  the 
forests  and  ravines,  surmounting  the  innumerable 
obstacles  that  lay  in  their  way,  intending  to  fall 


:;i!l 


f 


IN   THE   HIGHLANDS. 


233 


upon  Fort  Montgomery;  the  other,  which  Clinton 
himself  co.iducted,  hurried  round  to  gain  the  rear 
of  Fort  Clinton.     The  phui  was,  to  commence  the 
assault   at    the    same    moment.       At   about  two 
o'clock  in   the  afternoon   it  began.     This  was  on 
Monday.     Several  skirmishes  had  been  had  with 
the  outposts  before  the  two  hostile  parties  reached 
the  forts,  but  the  Americans  were  driven  back  into 
the  fortifications  every  time.     For  three  hours  the 
assault  was  kept  up,  with  no  abatement  in  its 
fury.     It  was  like  the  dashing  of  a  sudden  and 
powerful  storm.     The  British  commander  sent  a 
flag,  demanding  a  surrender,  after  the  fight  had 
been  going  on  for  a  couple  of  hours;  but  as  the 
Americans   refused   to  yield,  the   attack  was  re- 
newed  with  increased  vigor.      A  messenger  had 
been  sent  to  Putnam's  camp,  in  the  meanwhile, 
to  ask  for  assistance ;  but  there  was  some  treach- 
erous conduct  in  the  matter,  and   the  message 
never  was  delivered  at  head  quarters.     Putnam 
knew  nothing  of  what  was  going  on,  until  he  had 
started  on  his  return  from  reconnoitring  the  enemy 
at  Verplanck's  Point;  the  firing  up  the  riv(-r  had 
been   heard  at  Peekskill,  and  word  was  brought 
down  with    ail   possible  despatch.      He  hurded 

20* 


k 

if 


Hi 

m 


M 


11] 


i : 


1 


Mi 

ill 


,1  ii 


i  >i 


Hi 


234 


GEN.   ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


back  to  camp  and  sent  five  hundred  men  np  the 
river  in  great  haste.  They  had  five  miles  to  march 
before  they  reached  the  point  at  which  they  were 
to  cross,  and  by  tlie  time  they  came  to  that,  the 
action  was  all  over.  The  news  came  that  the 
Americ;iiis  were  obliged  to  relinquish  their  posi- 
tion, and,  under  cover  of  dusk,  they  made  good 
their  retreat  from  the  forts.  The  contest  was 
most  severe  and  bloody,  more  than  one  third  of 
the  Americans  within  the  two  forts  having  fallen 
victims. 

It  was  midnight  when  Governor  Clinton  reached 
Peekskill  in  his  retreat;  and  at  a  hasty  conference 
of  the  superior  officers,  it  was  thought  worse  than 
useless  to  try  to  hold  that  post  any  longer.  Put- 
nam therefore  ordered  his  men  to  march  without 
any  dcia^  ;  and,  the  stores  having  been  first  with- 
drawn, they  set  out  for  Fishkill,  some  twelve  miles 
distant  by  the  road.  The  two  vessels  were  burned 
that  had  been  stationed  to  defend  the  cable  thrown 
across  the  river,  lest  they  should  fall  into  the 
enemy's  hands.  The  British  followed  up  their 
advantages  without  delay,  destroying  several 
buildings  in  and  around  Peekskill,  sailing  farther 
up  the  river  and  committing  ravages  at  Esopus, 


IN  THE   HIGHLANDS. 


235 


np  the 
march 
y  were 
lat,  the 
lat  the 
ir  posi- 
e  good 
st  was 
hird  of 


cT  fallen 


reached 
iference 
rse  than 
r.  Put- 
without 
•st  with- 
ve  miles 
3  burned 

1  thrown 
into  the 
up  their 

several 

2  farther 
Esopus, 


a  village  just   below  Kingston  on   the  western 
shore,  burning  stores,  mills,  and  dwelling-houses 
without    the   least  compunction,   and    exhibiting 
traits  of  barbaric  wantoimess  that  would  ill  be- 
come outright  savages.      This  conduct  of  itself 
aroused  a  feeling  in  that  locality  against  the  Brit- 
ish, which  tended  more  than  anything  to  place 
still   farther  off  their   prospects  of  final   success. 
These  wanton  and  cruel  acts  were  quite  in  keep- 
ing  with    their   treatment  of  the  wounded   and 
dying   Americans  at   Fort   IVIontgomery.      They 
bestowed   upon  their  own  dead,  after  the  battle 
was  over,  a  decent  burial;  but  threw  the  bodies 
of  the  vanquished  in  piles  into  a  pool  not  far  from 
the  fort,  where  they  were  left  exposed  to  the  ele- 
ments.     Dr.  Dwight,  who  visited  the  place  about 
seven   months  afterwards,  in  the  month  of  May, 
describes  the  scene  that  presented  itself,  in  the' 
following  style:  — 

"  The  first  object  which  met  our  eyes,  after  we 
had  left  our  barge  and  ascended  the  bank,  was  the 
remains  of  a  fire,  kindled  by  the  cottagers  of  this 
solitude,  for  the  purpose  of  consuming  the  bones 
of  some  of  the  Americans  who  had  fallen  at  this 
place,  and  had  been  left  unburied.     Some  of  these 


i 


Hi 

m 

m 


H' 


I 


It 


W 


li! 


Mil; 


I  ^1  ; . 

iiii 


!  ; 


236 


GEN.    ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


bones  were  lying,  piirtially  consunned,  round  the 
spot  where  the  fire  had  been  kindled;  and  some 
had  evichMitly  been  converted  to  ashes.  As  we 
went  onward,  we  were  distressed  by  the  factor  of 
decayed  liuman  bodies.  As  we  were  attempting 
to  discover  the  source  from  wliich  it  j)roceeded, 
we  found,  at  a  small  distance  from  Fort  Mont- 
gomery, a  pond  of  a  moderate  size,  in  which  we 
saw  bodies  of  several  men,  who  had  been  killed 
in  the  assault  upon  the  fort.  They  were  thrown 
into  this  pond,  the  prece;ding  autumn,  by  the  Brit- 
ish, when,  j)robably,  the  water  was  sulficiently 
deep  to  cover  them.  Some  of  them  were  covered 
at  this  time;  but  at  a  depth  so  small,  as  to  leave 
them  distinctly  visible.  Others  had  an  arm,  a 
leg,  or  a  j)art  of  the  body,  above  the  surface. 
The  clothes  which  they  wore  when  they  were 
killed,  were  still  on  them,  and  proved  that  they 
were  militia,  being  the  ordinary  dress  of  farmers." 
The  British  were  on  their  way  up  to  meet  Bur- 
goyne,  inflated  with  high  hopes,  and  drunk  with 
their  grand  expectations;  but  suddenly  there  fell 
a  blow  upon  those  hopes,  which  destroyed  them 
every  one.  The  news  met  them  that  Burgoyne 
had  surrendered  to  General  Gates  I     It  was  use- 


lil 


IN  THE  lIiailLANDS. 


237 


less  to  go  farthrr.     Thoy  tnrnod  their  faces  about 
without  hesitation,  and,  laliiug  to  their  vessels  in 
the  river,  —  after  having  first  been  at  the  ])ains  to 
demolish  two  of  the  deserted   American  forts, — 
sailed  down  to  New   York.     Putnam  left  Fish- 
kih  upon  this,  and  took  up  his  former  station  at 
Peekskill.     He  had  the  great  misfortune  to  lose 
his  wife  while  at  the  former  place,  in  reference  to 
which  (General  Washington  soon  afterwards  wrote 
him,  —  "I  am  extremely  sorry  for  the  death  of 
Mrs.  Putnam,  and  sympatiiize  with  you  u|)on  the 
occasion.     Remembering  that  ail  must  die,  and 
that  she  had  lived  to  an  honorable  age,  I  hope  you 
will  bear  the  misfortune  with  that  fortitude  and 
complacency  of  mind  that  become  a  man  and  a 
Christian." 

It  is  said  that  Dr.  Dwight  —  then  an  army  chap- 
lain, and  afterwards  President  of  Yale  Colleo-e 
—  preached  a  sermon  to  the  army  on  the  Sunday 
following  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne,  taking  his 
text  from  Joel,  2  :  20,  as  follows:  — "  I  will  remove 
far  otr  from  you  the  northern  army."  All  the 
officers  were  delighted  with  it,  and  General  Put- 
nam as  a  matter  of  course.  The  General  walked 
along  with  the  young  chaplain,  after  service  was 


11 


M. 


Hi    1 1 


'», 


238 


GKN.    ISRAKI,   PUTNAM, 


ovor,  Jind  dcsirrd  lo  know  wlicrc  \\r  i^ni  his  fcxt ; 
"for,"  siiid  li(',  "  I  do  ii't  believe  there  is  iiny  such 
t<'xt  in  Um«  l^ihle."  Dwight  only  satislied  him  that 
there  ifuts  sneh  a  t<'xl  there,  by  producing  the  book 
and  pointing  it  out  to  hitn.  Pntnaiu  declared 
that  there  was  rrrn/{hini*'\u  that  book,  and  Dwight 
knew  just  where  to  put  his  linger  upon  it! 

After  Hurgoyne's  di'feat,  drafts  were  made  u|)oii 
the  northern  army  <<>  increase  tin*  force  of  (mmi- 
eral  Putnam,  luitil  in  a  short  time  Ik;  had  nine 
thousand  men  un(h'r  his  command.  M'^ith  thi.s 
larg<*  body  at  his  disj)osal,  he  had  plamied  an 
enteri)rise  against  the  enemv  below  at  several 
points,  of  whoso  success  he  was  very  sangiune. 
But  the  British  under  (icncral  Howe  were  already 
in  possession  of  Pliiladelphia,  and  their  licet  w^as 
peeking  a  communication  with  tliat  city  to  carry 
tliem  su|)plies.  To  Ihis  phm  Wasliington  wisiied 
to  |)ut  a  stop.  For  this  purpose  lie  sent  Col. 
Alexander  Hamilton  to  Putnam's  camp,  with 
orders  to  forward  iiim  without  delay,  three  brig- 
ades. Hamilton  then  hurried  on  to  Albany  to 
confer  with  (Jeneral  Gates.  In  a  week  he  returned; 
and  linding  that  Putnam  had  not  forw^arded  the 
troops    as    directed,    sent    an    order    couched    in 


IN   TlIK   liriJIILANDR. 


230 


\n  text ; 
ly  such 
iin  lliut 
w  book 
cclarcd 

Dwiglit 

I 

1(»  upon 
)l'  (Jni- 
1(1   iiiiio 
^ith  this 
nvi\   ail 
sev(Tal 
mgiiiiu*. 
already 
ieet  was 
to  carry 
I  wished 
Mit   Col. 
ip,   with 
roe  brig- 
Ibaiiy  to 
cturncd ; 
rded  the 
iched   in 


terrnH  of  the   most   severe    reprimand.      He  nJHO 
wrote  a  despatch   to  Washiiiglon   in   relation   to 
Putnam's  neglect  of  hin  orders,  in   which   he  ex- 
pressed the  opinion  tliat  the  old  (icneral  ought  io 
hv.    displaced.       His    language,    in    the    letter    he 
addressed   to  (icneral    Put  nam,  was   harsh   in  the 
extreme.      Yet   he  excuses  it  on   account  of  the 
dejith  of  his  feelings.      He  said  that  Ik;   trembh-d 
lest  Sir  Henry  Clinton  with  his  fleet,  had  already 
reached   Howe  at  Philadelphia,  and  that  all  was 
lost. 

Putnam  at  once  sent  Hamilton's  letter  on  to 
the   Commander-in-chief,  and   complained   of  its 
temper  and  imputations  upon  him;  he  said  that 
without  the  most  direct  and  positive  orders  from 
his  commander,  he  could  not  think  of  such  a  thing 
as  sending  away  the  body  of  the  force  which  was 
all   he  had   to  n-ly  upon.      But  Washington   ap- 
proved the  order  which   had   been   issued   to  the 
General,  and  expressed   himself  dissatisfiec'  with 
his  iieghx't  to  obey  (he  same.     For  the  first  time 
since  he  had  entered  u[)on  the  duties  of  a  soldier, 
had  he  thus  received  the  censure,  whether  deserved 
or  not,  of  his  superior  otiicer.     There  is  much  to 
be  said  in  explanation  of  his  conduct,  and  to  say 


i 


Ml!; 


■4 

■iff 

i; 


at': 

■  «-J 

■h 


i 


N 


'  i      >i 


m  I 


240 


GEN.   ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


tliat  dors  but  divide  the  r(!sponsil)ility  among  those 
on  wlioin  it  should  proj)crIy  rest.  Washington 
was  unacquainted  with  I  lie  exact  state  of  matters 
in  the  liighhmds,  just  at  tiiat  time;  tiiere  was  a 
mutinous  spirit  among  a  large  |)ortion  of  the 
troops,  w^ho  threatened  to  desert  altogether  imless 
they  could  be  paid;  and  this  Hamilton  himself 
knew;  and  Hamilton  w^as  evidently  hasty,  if  not 
impetuous,  and  used  language,  for  a  young  man 
of  twenty,  in  his  letter,  such  as  no  man  of  his 
years  should  employ  towards  a  scarred  vt^teran  of 
sixty. 

The  order  of  Washington  having  finally  been 
complied  with,  General  Putnam  took  a  part  of 
his  remaining  force  and  moved  down  the  river. 
General  Dickinson  made  a  sudden  descent  on 
Staten  Island,  on  the  27th  of  November,  with 
fourteen  hundred  men ;  and  simultaneously  with 
this  movement  General  Putnam  ordered  a  diver- 
sion upon  King's  bridge,  that  the  enemy  might  not 
suspect  his  stratagem ;  but  by  some  means  they 
received  intelligence  of  his  design,  and  were  en- 
abled to  make  good  their  escape. 

Next  he  proceeded  to  New  Rochelle,  and  at  this 
point  got  things  in  readiness  to  cross  the  Sound 


IIT  THE   HIGHLANDS. 


241 


y  those 
ingtori 
natters 

was  a 
of  the 

unless 
ihnself 
,  if  not 
m  man 

of  his 
eran  of 

ly  been 
part  of 
le  river. 
3ent  on 
jr,  with 
sly  with 
a  diver- 
ight  not 
ins  they 
vere  en- 

d  at  this 
e  Sound 


In  open   boats  and  surprise  the  enemy  at  Hunt- 
•Albion  and   Satanket;  out  Urn;  oesign  was  pene- 
trated by  the   JMtishin  time   to  permit  them  to 
vacate  the  forts  and  betake  themselves  to  a  piae..  of 
safety.      Then   he  projected  an  enterprise  against 
Long  Island  to  destroy  large  quantities  of  hnnber 
that  had   been   eolh-cted  at  several   points  by  the 
British,  for  constructing  barracks  in  New  York,— 
to  fire  several  coasting  vessels  that  were  loaded  with 
wood  for  the  British  army  then  in   possession  of 
Newport,  in  Rhodellsland,- to  capture  what  public 
stores  they  could  lay  their  hands  on,  and  to  attack  a 
regiment  stationed  near  Jamaica.     The  whole  ex- 
pedition was  divided  into  three  parts,  and  placed 
under  the  di.T-ction  of  as  many  commanders.     This 
expedition  also  turned  out  unfortunately,  o.dy  one 
sloop    having    been    destroyed,    together   with    a 
quantity  of  timber.     One  of  the  commanders  was 
taken  a  prisoner,  together  with  the  whole  of  his 
party,  amounting  to  sixty-five  men. 

Governor  Tryon,  whose  talent  seemed  to  con- 
sist in  destroying,  and  whose  name  will  forever 
be  associated  in  the  mind  of  the  people  of  west- 
ern Connecticut  with  acts  of  incendiarism  and 
wantonness,  had  been  sending  out  parties  quite 

21 


1 


I 

•  •;■! 


■  *5^ 


i  < 


242 


GEN.  ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


R'^  !• 


i 


» 


4 


l-l' 


S*  ,'  *  *. 


n 


:'^il 


•! 


freely  to  commit  such  depredations  as  they  had  an 
inclination  to.  Putnam  found  that  the  only  way 
to  put  a  stop  to  this  conduct,  was  by  acts  of  re- 
taliation. Acc()rdin<»ly  he  despatched  bodies  of 
men  in  this  direction  and  that,  wherever  it  was 
possible  to  surprise  the  enemy's  oificers  in  their 
position.  On  one  of  these  marauding  excursions 
the  Americans  having  learned  that  a  noted  tory 
named  Colonel  James  Delancy  was  at  the  village 
of  West  Farms,  a  little  below  Westchester,  they 
stealthily  approached  and  surrounded  the  house  in 
the  liight,  and  then  hurried  in  to  ransack  it  for 
their  prisoner.  Delancy  was  in  bed,  and  hearc' 
them  coming.  Not  knowing  what  else  to  do,  ! 
bounded  out  and  crept  underneath  with  all  pos- 
sible agility.  But  the  warm  bed  he  had  just  left 
testified  to  his  presence  ;  and  after  searching  care- 
fully all  about  the  room,  they  at  last  discovered  him 
in  his  novel  hiding  place,  and  proceeded  to  draw 
him  forth  in  triumph  to  public  view.  It  was  not 
a  very  dignified  or  brave  position  for  a  Colonel  to 
be  found  in,  but  there  he  vvas.  They  bore  him 
away  to  head-quarters,  a  prisoner.  Clinton  found 
the  means  to  procure  his  release  before  long,  by 
proposing  an  exchange  of  prisoners.     He  after- 


IN   THE   niGIILANDS. 


243 


lad  an 
y  ^vay 
of  re- 
licH  of 
it  waft 
n  their 
ursioiirt 
[id  tory 
village 
3r,  they 
lOUse  in 
k  it  for 
1  heart' 
3  do,  1 
all  pos- 
just  left 
iig  care- 
ered him 
to  draw 
was  not 
ilonel  to 
ore  him 
)n  found 
long,  by 
le  after- 


wards earned  a   name  of  peri>etnal  infamy,  by 
placing  himself  at  the  head  c,f  those  thievin^^  and 
lawless  l)arl)arians  known  by  the  name  of  Cow 
Boys,  that  infested   the  neutral  district  between 
the  lines  of  the  two  armies.     The  novelist  Cooper 
has  done  full  justice  to  the  vile  character  .''  those 
uncivilized  creatures,  who  lived  by  preying  even 
on  their  own   friends  and  relatives,  in   his  novel 
entitl<.d  «  The   Spy."      They  formed  a  class  of 
men,  the  like  of  whom  it  would  be  impossible  to 
find  anywhere  else  in  all  our  history  as  a  country. 


I 

4 


,;•; 


i 


(  .  1  /■  t 


I 


i|i|! 


U'i  ;ii;il. 


C  H  A  P  T  E  11     XII. 

i-UTNAM   AT   WEST  POINT  AND   DANBURY. 

IN  tho  midclln  of  DtHMMiihcr,  Gen.  Putnam 
went  into  winter  quarters  in  tlio  Highlands, 
The  work  to  which  he  was  now  to  "ive 
his  attention,  was  the  j)erfeetion  of  the  defences 
of  the  river.  It  was  early  in  the  month  of  Jan- 
uary, 1778,  when  a  party,  among  whotti  were 
Governor  George  Clinton  and  Colonel  Radiere, 
a  French  engineer,  made  an  actual  survey  of 
the  region,  for  the  purpose  of  deciding  the  best 
y)oint  at  which  a  strong  fortification  should  be 
erected.  West  Point  was  finally  decided  on, 
though  not  without  the  opposition  of  Radiere 
and  after  an  examination  of  the  place  by  a 
commUtee  of  the  New  York  Legislature.  The 
French  engineer  displayed  considerable  petu- 
lance at  the  final  decision,  and  it  was  not  long 
before   he    gave    place    to   the   celebrated    Polish 


PUTNAM   AT   WKST   POINT   AND   DANBURY. 


oir 


45 


PXl 


lo    K. 


oscinsKo;   wnon 


the    pi 


ins  wore   carricc 


ninam 
iljincls. 
o  i^ive 
efences 
if  Jan- 
n  were 
adiere, 

^7Cy    <jf 

10  best 
luld  be 
led    on, 
Radiere 
3    by   a 
IL'.     The 
petu- 
K>t  long 
Polish 


forward  wilh  <!iergy  an('  raj)l(!ity.  To  Cirn. 
Putnam  alone  his  early  friend  and  bi()<^raplier, 
Col.  Humphreys,  awards  the  eredit  of  this  most 
sagacious  selection.  (General  Parsons  was  sent 
across  the  river  to  break  ground  when  the;  snow 
lay  two  feet  deep.  C'onsidering  how  poorly  fed 
and  clad  the  soldiers  were^  at  this  time,  how 
pinching  was  \\w  cold,  and  what  a  miserable 
pittance  was  doled  out  to  them  from  tiuie  to 
time  for  their  services,  it  seems  truly  wonderful 
what  kept  them  together  at  all ;  mueli  more, 
what  motive  could  be  strong  enough  to  excite 
their  energies  in  such  an  undertaking  at  such  an 
inclement  season.  Putnam's  own  description  of 
the  condition  of  his  men,  in  one  of  his  letters  to 
Washington,  is  well  worth  quoting  from  :  "  Du- 
blois'  regiment  is  unfit  to  be  ordered  on  duty, 
there  being  not  one  blanket  in  the  regiment. 
Very  few  have  either  a  shoe  or  a  shirt,  and  most 
of  them  have  neither  stockings,  breeches,  nor 
overalls.  Several  companies  of  enlisted  artificers 
are  jn  the  same  situalion,  and  unable  to  work 
in  the  field. "  This  was  the  same  long  and 
dreary  winter  which    Washington   passed   with 

21* 


!'■•»»  'f-i 


J  i' 


;  *  / 


J 


rif  i 


,  1 


240 


GEN.    ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


his  shodcss  and  almost  starving  army  at  Valley 
Forgo.  It  was  in  truth,  the  darkest  period  in 
our  Revolutionary  history.  Washington  wrote 
to  Congress  that  he  had  with  him  at  Valley 
Forge  "no  less  than  two  thousand  eight  hun- 
dred and  ninety-eight  men  in  camp  unfit  for 
duty,  because  they  were  barefoot  and  other' 
wise  nakecV^ 

In  the  month  of  November  previous.  Con- 
gress had  directed  that  the  loss  of  the  Forts 
Clinton  and  Montgomery  should  be  duly  in- 
vestigated by  a  court  of  incpiiry,  which  was 
composed  of  three  of  the  leading  officers  of 
the  army.  Putnam  had  gone  home  to  Con- 
necticut, about  the  middle  of  February,  to  take 
care  of  his  private  atfairs,  which  sadly  needed 
his  personal  attention ;  but  as  soon  as  he  re- 
turned, the  investigation  took  place.  It  is  a 
very  common  method,  according  to  strict  mili- 
tary discipline,  of  getting  at  the  real  facts  of 
a  great  mistake  or  misfortune,  or  of  a  piece  of 
misconduct  on  the  part  of  a  general  officer ; 
but  nothing  in  the  present  case  was  charged 
against  Gen.  Putnam  by  the  court,  nor  against 
any  one  else  concerned.     Of  course,  while  the 


rUTNAM  AT   WEST  POIKT  AND   DANBURY.        247 


investigation  was  going  on,  Gen.  Putnam  was 
deposed  from  his  command,  as  was  customary 
and  proper ;  and  that  command  he  was  not 
permitted  again  to  resuine.  The  court  found 
that  the  two  forts  were  lost  on  account  of  a 
lack  of  men,  and  not  from  any  fault  of  the 
commanders.  Washington  sent  to  Putnam, 
upon  this,  directions  to  return  once  more  to 
Connecticut,  and  hurry  forward  the  fresh  troops 
which  that  State  proposed  to  raise  for  the  com- 
ing campaign,  —  that  of  the  year  1778. 

The  news  came  about  the  first  of  May,  that 
France  had  formed  an  alliance  with  the  United 
States,  and  Washington  and  all  the  rest  began 
to  feel  greatly  encouraged.  He  even  thought 
that  the  campaign  of  that  year  would  termi- 
nate the  struggle  altogether.  He  wrote  on  to 
Putnam,  "  I  hope  that  the  fair,  and,  I  may  say, 
certain  prospect  of  success  will  not  induce  us 
to  relax." 

Directly  after   the  battle  of  Monmouth,  Gen. 
Putnam   left  Connecticut  to  take  command  of 
the  right  wing  of  the  army.     Nothing  had  yet 
been   accomplished,  with   the    exception  of  this 
single   brilliant   action,   and   the    summer   wore 


fa  i 


248 


HEN.    ISRAEL   I'l'TNAM. 


-s   ? 


hi  I 


,;    i 


If 


^11 


awiiy  willi  a  scries  of  nimlcss  niarclics  lliis 
W'.xy  and  lliul,  wliicli  almost,  worr  onl  what 
])atioii(«'  nMuaiiuul  lo  I  lie  army.  The  Hritish 
at  loiii^tli  —  ill  SeplcmlxT  —  j^avc  tiir  Ameri- 
can (\)mmaiulrr  Ihe  idea  thai  lliey  were  ahoiit 
to  embark  from  New  N Ork  on  iiii  ex|)e(htion  k> 
Boston.  As  l^'ranee  liad  then  openly  taker) 
sides  wiili  ns,  a  larij^e  FnMieli  (leet,  luy  nejil 
Boston  and  alon«:^  the  coast,  wiiieli  it  wa? 
thoiiiilit  Sir  Hemv  Clinton  was  eai^er  to  at/ 
taek.  The  entire  eastern  army  was  therei'orc/ 
so  dispos(Ml  as  io  be  n^idy  to  <:;o  to  the  imnuv 
diate  aid  of  the  hiMst,  in  ease  of  an  invasion, 
and  also  to  hold  ;uid  defend  the  important 
posts  already  in  their  hands,  in  and  around 
the  lliii;hlands.  Putnam  was  |)iit  in  eommand 
of  two  briij^ades  not  far  from  West  Point,  while 
Generals  INIeDoui^all  juid  (Jates  were  stationed 
at  Danbury,  to  protect  tlu^  line  of  country 
bordering  on  Tiong  Island  Sound.  Two  months 
passed  by,  and  still  nothing  was  (U)iie.  The 
army  was  therefore  orden^d  into  winter  tiuarters 
early  in  tlie  month  o^  November. 

General  Pntnam   w;is    (M'dcred,  this  \vinter,  to 
quarter  with   his  command  near  Danbury.     lif 


PUTNAM   AT    WEST   POINT   AND   DANHURY.      219 

Iiad  llirrc  l)ri^r;,(l,.s  „,„l,.r  hj,,,,  rruuic  np  of 
troops  from  CouiH'cticnl,  iirid  New  II;unj)sliire, 
ira/.-n's  corps  of  infantry,  and  Sheldon's  ror|)s 
of  cavalry.  In  Jliis  position  lie  was  ready  at 
hand  to  assist;  either  in  the  defences  of  the 
lliglilands,  or  to  repel  any  assanhs  Ihat  mi^dit 
bo  ofli-red  by  parties  of  th(;  enemy  npon  the 
nia^r;,/ines  alon^'  th(;  (\)nnecticnf,  river,  or  the 
d\veli:n«jrs  and  stores  on  th(;  line  of  th(;  Sound 
shore. 

The    troops    vv(>re    hut    |)oorly    paid    at    this 
time,  and    there  was  a   ^m'at  (h-ai  of  r-oirjphiint 
amon^'st    them.       Nor    was    it    without    reason. 
They    saw   the    day    of   payment    no    nearer    at 
hand    than    it   liad    ever   been,      'i'hey    weni    put 
oil,   and   put  off,  with  promises  continuallv.      It 
was    cold    weather,    pinchin^r    and    bitter;     and 
poorly    clad    and     illy    fed    as    they    were,    their 
l)rospe(rts  brightening  at  no  turn,  it   is  nothitig 
to    wonder    at    that    they    should    begin    to    feel 
discourag(>d.       The    first    evidence   which    den. 
Putnam  had  of  the;  existence  of  such  a  feeling, 
was    on    finding    that    insubordination   was    a(;t- 
ually   bcgimiing  to     manifest    itself.       The    old 
General    himself  {quartered   at  u  farm   house  in 


Hi   ^^ 


!«;' 


250 


GEN.   ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


u 


Reading,  but  a  short,  distance  from  Danbury, 
and  he  was  there  when  the  news  of  the  out- 
break first  reached  him. 

The  General  Assembly  of  Connecticut  was 
in  session  at  the  time,  in  Hartford ;  and  the 
troops  had,  two  brigades  of  them,  resolved  to 
form  in  military  line  and  march  to  Hartford  to 
demand  the  money  which  they  began  to  think 
was  wrongfully  kept  back  from  them.  These 
two  brigades  were  Connecticut  troops,  and  had 
a  perfect  right  to  demand  their  pay  from  the 
legislature  of  that  State.  The  other  troops  did 
not  stand  in  the  same  relation  to  the  Legis- 
lature. When  word  was  brought  to  Gen  Put- 
nam of  the  breaking  out  of  the  trouble,  one 
brigade  was  then  under  arms  and  all  ready 
to  proceed  to  Hartfi/rd.  He  lost  no  time  in 
making  up  his  mind  what  to  do,  as  he  never 
did  ;  but  instantly  springing  upon  his  horse,  he 
galloped  away  to  the  ^cene  of  the  diiriculties. 
Riding  up  to  the  head  of  the  column,  he  at 
once    appealed    to    their    respect    and    affection 

for  their  veteran  commander,  and  harangued 
them    in    a   loud   voice    and  with    a    great   deal 

of  feeling.     Said  he  to  them,  while  he  still  sat 


>anbury, 
;he  out- 
put was 
and    the 
olved  to 
rtford  to 
to  think 
These 
and  had 
from  the 
oops  did 
e    Legis- 
jJen   Put- 
ible,   one 
ill    ready 

time  in 
he  never 
horse,  he 
ilTiculties. 
m,  he   at 

affection 

larangued 
rreat   deal 

e  still  sat 


PUTNAM  AT   WEST   POINT   AND   DANBURY.      251 

on  his  horse,- "My  brave  lads,  whither  are  you 
going?      Do    you    intend    to    desert    your    offi- 
cers,    and    to    invite   the    enemy  to  follow   you 
into  the  country  ?      In   whose  cause   have  you 
been  fighting  and  suffering  so  long  ?     U  it  not 
your  own  ?       Have   you   no   property  ?    no   par- 
ents?   no  wives?   no  children?     You  have  thus 
far  behaved  like  men  ;   the  world  is  full  of  your 
praises;    and    posterity    will    stand     astonished 
at  your  deeds  :_  but  not  if  you   spoil  it  all  at 
last.     Don't  you  consider  how  much   the  coun- 
try  is    distressed    by    the   war,   and    that    your 
officers  have  not  been  any  better  paid  than  your- 
selves  ?      But  we   all    expect   better   times,   and 
then  the  country  will  do  us  ample  justice.     Let 
us  all   stand   by  one  another,  then,  and  fight  it 
out  like   brave  soldiers!     Think  what  a  shame 
it  would   be  for  Connecticut  men  to  run  away 
from  their  officers!" 

An  appeal  like  this,  coming  from  the  man 
they  all  loved  and  respected  so  much,  could  not 
go  without  its  effect.  The  dissatisfied  troops 
softened  in  a  moment,  and  testified  to  their 
suddenly  changed  feelings  by  oflering  the  cus- 
tomary   mifitary   salute    as    their    General    rode 


?'f 


P-4 


252 


GEN.   ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


slowly  down  tho  lino  ;  thoy  presented  arms, 
and  the  drum  began  again  to  beat.  The  Brig- 
ade Major  then  gave  the  order  to  shoulder  arms, 
which  they  promptly  obeyed;  and  then  marched 
away  to  their  parade  ground  and  stacked  their 
arms  without  the  least  sliow  of  further  dissatis- 
faction.    The  rough   but  honest  old  soldier  who 

was   at  their    head,   exerted   such   a  strong   and 

» 
immediate   influence  over  them,   that  they  were 

convinced  that  he  was  in  the  right,  and  they 
were  altogether  in  the  wrong. 

A  single  soldier  who  was  engaged  in  the 
mutijiy,  it  was  found  necessary  to  coniine  in 
the  guard-house,  and  during  the  night  he  at- 
tempted to  make  his  escape ;  but  he  was  shot 
dead  by  the  sentinel,  who  had  himself  been 
concernt^d  in  the  mutiny  of  the  day  before.  A 
couple  of  soldiers  were  also  executed  on  GaU 
lows  Hill,  about  a  mile  from  the  head  quarters 
of  Putnam  ;  one  was  shot  for  desertion,  and 
one  was  hung  for  being  taken  as  a  spy.  The 
latter  was  a  tory.  He  was  compelled  to  as- 
cend a  ladder  to  a  height  of  some  twenty  feet, 
with  the  rope  around  his  neck,  and  then  told  to 
jump   off.     This   he   refused   to   do.     The   lad- 


'  M 


I 


arms, 
Brig- 
arms, 
arched 
I  their 
ssatis- 
iv  who 


Q   and 


f  were 
d  they 

in  the 
fine   in 

he  at- 
as  shot 
If   been 
Lire.     A 
)ii    Gal". 
:|uartera 
on,  and 
y.     The 
I   to   as- 
nty  feet, 

told  to 
:he   lad- 


lUTNAM   AT   WEST   POINT  AND   DANBURY.      2o3 

der  had  to  be  turned  over  by  those  below,  so 
as  to  throw  him  olF  and  leave  him  swinging 
in  the  air.  The  other  —  the  deserter  —  was  a 
mere  youth,  not  more  than  seventeen  years 
old  ;  and  it  is  related  that  terrible  work  was 
made  at  his  execution. 

The  enemy,  this  winter,  under  the  well  known 
Governor  Tryon,  made  a  descent  upon  the  towns 
and  villages  along  the  Sound,  carrying  their  in- 
cursions also  as  far  into  the  interior  as  they 
judged  it  prudent  to  go.  They  laid  waste  and 
destroyed  wherever  they  went.  Th(!y  set  fire  to 
public  buildings  and  private  dwellings  with  per- 
fect impunity,  and  witnessed  the  devastations 
they  created  with  evident  satisfaction. 

Tryon  marched  with  a  detachment  of  fifteen 
hundred  men  from  King's  bridge  over  to  Horse- 
neck,  or  what  is  now  known  as  West  Green- 
wich. This  place  was  so  called,  because  it  was 
a  tongue,  or  neck  of  land,  running  out  into  the 
Sound  ;  and  upon  it  used  to  feed  large  quanti- 
ties of  horses,  in  the  summer  season.  Gen.  Put- 
nam was  there  at  Horseneck  himself,  with  a 
small  force  of  only  a  hundred  and  fifty  men  to 
oppose  the  advancing  enemy.     He  was  stationed 

22 


i    i' 


254 


GEN.   ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


on  the  brow  of  a  steep  hill,  and  had  but  two 
iron  cannon  with  him,  but  without  drag-ropes  or 
horses.  He  determined,  however,  to  show  to  the 
enemy  that  he  would  not  run  as  long  as  there 
was  a  chance  to  harass  them,  or  do  them  any 
mischief. 

The  field-pieces  were  loaded  and  fired  several 
times  at  them,  as  they  came  up,  performing  con- 
siderable execution.  Resolved  to  put  a  stop  to 
such  a  proceeding  at  once,  the  British  General 
ordered  a  party  of  dragoons,  supported  by  the 
infantry,  to  charge  upon  the  cause  of  the  mis- 
chief. Seeing  what  they  were  determined  to  do, 
and  feeling  certain  that  there  was  no  use  in  try- 
ing to  oppose  his  little  handful  of  men  to  the 
large  body  of  the  enemy  at  hand.  Gen.  Putnam 
told  his  soldiers  to  retreat  at  the  top  of  their  speed 
into  a  swamp  near  by,  where  cavalry  could  not 
enter  to  molest  them.  He  then  waited  himself 
till  the  men  had  all  got  off  safely,  and  when 
the  dragoons  had  come  almost  within  a  sword's 
length  of  him  in  their  impetuous  chase,  he  took 
a  mad  plunge  down  the  precipice  ;  while  their 
horses  recoiled,  and  the  riders  looked  on  with  a 
feeling  of  astonishment   that  almost   amounted 


PUTNAM   AT   WEST  POINT   AND   DANBURY.      255 


at  two 
apes  or 
to  the 
s  there 
m  any 

several 
ig  con- 
stop  to 
jieneral 
by  the 
ne  mis- 
1  to  do, 
!  in  try- 
to  the 
Putnam 
ir  speed 
uld  not 
himself 
i  when 
sword's 
he  took 
le  their 
I  with  a 
lounted 


to  horror.  They  dared  not  continue  the  pur- 
suit, so  fearfully  precipitous  was  th(^  descent 
over  the  rocks  and  stones.  It  was  a  feat  of 
reckless  daring,  especially  for  a  man  well  along 
in  years,  that  was  quite  worthy  of  one,  who,  in 
his  younger  days,  went  down  alone  into  a  cave 
after  a  hunted  wolf  at  midnight. 

The  road  h'd  round  the  hill;  but  he  was  far 
beyond  their  reach  before  they  could  recover 
themselves  sufficiently  to  set  out  after  him  by 
that  way.  They  hastily  sent  a  volley  of  bullets 
in  pursuit  of  him,  as  he  plunged  down  the  rocky 
steep;  one  of  them  went  through  his  hat,  but 
not  a  hair  of  his  head  was  injured.  There  were 
from  seventy-five  to  one  hundred  rude  stone 
steps  laid  on  this  declivity,  to  assist  the  people 
from  below  in  climbing  the  hill  to  the  ordinary 
services  on  Sunday,  at  the  church  on  the  brow 
of  the  same.  Putnam's  horse  took  him  in  a  zisr- 
zag  direction  down  these  steps,  and  land(;d  him 
safely  in  the  plain.  A  man  who  stood  not  far 
from  the  old  General,  just  as  he  wheeled  his  horse 
and  made  the  reckless  plunge,  said  that  he  was 
cursing  the  British  terribly. 

He  scoured  the  road  at  the  top  of  his  speed, 


<■' 


256 


GEN.    ISKAEL   PUTNAM. 


^   I 


i    f 


i    i 


ill 


and  rt'achcd  Stanifortl,  a  town  about  five  miles 
distant,  in  a  very  short  time.  llr  tlicn  eolleeted 
the  few  militia  who  w<'re  posted  there,  and,  be- 
ing joined  also  l)y  some  of  his  own  men  who 
had  just  escaped,  turned  back  to  pursue  and 
harass  tiie  enemy.  The  hitter  had  by  tiiis  time 
succeeded  in  committing  many  acts  of  destruc- 
tion, and  were  even  then  on  their  retreat  to  Rye. 
Putnam  imng  upon  their  rear,  and  succeeded  in 
taking  thirty-eight  prisoners,  and  a  wagon-load 
of  ammunition  and  ])hinder  which  they  were 
carrying  off,  and  wliieh  lie  afterwards  restored 
to  their  rightful  owners.  On  the  next  day,  he 
sent  the  prisoners  all  back  to  the  British  lines, 
under  an  escort,  for  the  purpose  of  exclianging 
them  with  American  prisoners.  Gov.  Tryon 
was  so  much  pleased  with  his  humanity  and 
generosity,  that  he  sent  him  back  a  suit  of  new 
clothes,  including  a  hat  to  take  the  place  of  the 
one  which  had  been  perforated  with  the  bullet. 

As   the   Spring   opened,   the   army   movod   up 
into    the   Highlands    again,  concent 'nti'  ( 

there   on   account  of  the  demon  ISi 

ITenry  Clinton.     It  was  plainly  tli     inten    on  oi 
the  latter  to  possess  himself  of  West  Pt  ut  and 


' 


t  five  miles 
'M  collected 
re,  and,  be- 
1  men  who 
[)ursue  and 
yy  this  time 

of  destruc- 
reat  to  Rye. 
ucceeded  in 
wagon-load 
they  were 
rds  restored 
lext  day,  he 
British  lines, 

exchanging 
Gov.  Try  on 
imanitv   and 

suit  of  new 
place  of  the 
the  bullet. 
f  moved  up 
ratir 

(    Si 

inten  on  ot 
st  Pi  iiit  and 


PUTNAM   AT   WEST  PUlNT   AND   DANUUllY.      257 

the   river.     Gen.  Putnam    held  command  at  the 
Clove,  on   Ihe  west   sidc^  of  IIm'   river.      The  Prit- 
i.sh  ascended  in  lh<-ir  vessels,  and  captured  Su)ny 
Point;  and  on  th(^  ir)tii  of  July  it  was  recaptured 
again  by  that  daring  spirit  who  led  on  a  "  forlorn 
hope"  in  ihe  darkness  and    storm  of  the  night, 
Anthony    Wayne,  or  "Mad   Anthony"  — as  he 
was   called   by  tlu^  army.      Put  the    Americans 
had  to   abandon    it  finally,   and    afterwards   the 
British    abandoned   it  still   again.     Washington 
r(>moved   his  head-quarters  to    West    Poii>t,   late 
in   Jnly,  and    Putnam   took    his   post   at  Butter- 
milk Falls,  some  two  miles  below.     The  season 
was  passed  chiefly  in  strengthening  the  defences 
of  this  famous  post,  to  which  Putnam  was  no 
small   contributor.     The   year  went  by  without 
a  single  action  of  any  greater  importance  than 
that  renowned  one  of  Wayne  against  the   for- 
tress of  Stony  Point 


22' 


MMMM 


li  iil 

I 


lit 


u 


111 

hi 


111 


111 


CHAPTER    X  I  T  r . 

HIS    LAST    DAYS. 

]~1^ARLY  in  December,  the  American  army 
A  went  into  winter  quarters  at  Morristown. 
_ji  There  was  no  expedition  on  foot  just  then 
by  the  enemy,  which  Required  them  to  be  late 
in  the  field.  They  had  occupied  tliemselves 
chiefly  in  destructive  excursions  into  the  coun- 
try, bui'niiig  and  laying  waste  wherever  they 
went.  "Washington  himself  spoke  of  their  op- 
erations, in  a  letter  to  Lafayeiie,  as  amounting 
to  little  more  tha  i  burning  defenceless  towns 
within  reach  of  their  own  shipping,  "  where 
little  else  was,  or  could  be  opposed  to  them, 
than  the  cries  of  distressed  women  and  helpless 
children." 

Pretty  soon  after  going  into  winter  quarters, 
Gen.  Putnam  left  the  camp  for  an  absencv;  of  a 
few   weeks   to   visit    his   family   in    Coimecticut. 


TIT^    T.AST    DAYS. 


209 


Towards  the  last  of  llic  month  he  started  on  his 
reiurn.  taking  Hartford  in  hij  route,  as  usual. 
He  had  travelled  on  the  road  to  Hartford,  how- 
ever, but  a  few  miles,  when  he  was  greatly  sur- 
prised to  find  that  a  sensation  of  numbness 
was  creeping  over  his  right  arm  and  leg.  Un- 
willing to  think  that  it  eould  proe(>ed  from  any 
other  cause  thau  the  cold,  he  made  strenuous 
exertions  to  shake  it  olf;  but  he  soon  found 
that  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  deceive  him- 
self. The  humbness  increased,  until  it  hr.d  got 
strong  hold  upon  the  limbs  and  one  side  of  his 
person.  He  was  obliged  to  bo  removed  to  the 
house  of  a  friend,  and  even  then  he  fought  with 
all  the  native  vigor  of  his  will  against  the  rm- 
pleasant  truth  that  was  forcing  itself  ui)on  his 
mind.  But  it  was  to  no  purpose.  The  old 
gentleman  found  he  had  been  visited  with  a 
severe  shock  of  paralysis,  and  it  was  useless  to 
try  to  deny  it  any  longer. 

Henceforward,  he  must  relinquish  his  active 
connection  with  the  war  of  the  Anierican  Revo- 
lutioii.  It  was  a  dillieult  matter  for  hun  to  feel 
resigned  to  inactivitv,  after  havinij:  thrown  him- 
self  with  such  ardor  into  the  cause  of  his  coun- 


260 


GEX.    ISRAEL   PUTNAM. 


frniwr? 


try ;  but  he  used  his  stock  of  philosophy,  and, 
as  he  always  did  in  tinu'i*  of  trial  and  dillicnity, 
resolved  to  make  the  best  of  it.  For  the  rest 
of  his  days,  Iherefon^  he  must  consent,  as  it 
were,  to  lie  on  the  shelf.  He  mvist  hear  the 
roar  of  the  eannon,  but  take  no  part  in  the 
battle.  It  was  a  stern  fatality,  and  one  well 
calculated  to  make  the  soul  of  any  hero  feel 
impatient. 

For  more  than  eleven  years  he  was  consigned 
to  the  retirement  and  quiet  of  his  farm-life  in 
Pomfret,  at  the  expiration  of  w^hieh  time  his 
days  drew  to  an  end.  He  had  not  entirely  lost 
the  use  of  his  limbs,  yet  their  strength  and  vigor 
were  so  seriously  impaired  as  to  put  physical 
labor  out  of  the  question.  He  did  not  relax 
any  of  his  early  interest  in  the  details  of  farm- 
ing, but,  with  his  sons,  carried  on  his  agricul- 
tural labors  with  his  usual  success.  There  was 
one  time, —  about  six  months  after  his  attack 
of  paralysis,  —  wIhmi  he  entertained  the  strong- 
est hopes  of  being  able  to  rejoin  the  nrmy  ;  and 
a  letter  from  Gen.  Washington  in  reply  to  one 
of  his  own  upon  this  subject,  is  to  be  seen  now. 
But  these  hopes  all  proved  to  be  futile  and 
vain. 


HIS   LAST  DAYS. 


261 


and, 
cnlty, 
[J  rest 
as  it 
ir  the 
w  the 
!  well 
o  feel 

signed 
life  in 
le  his 
ly  lost 


vimvr 

lysical 

relax 

farm- 


^ric  Ill- 


re  was 
attack 
^trong- 
r ;  and 
to  one 
n  now. 
e    and 


No  man  was  a  better  companion  than  Israel 
I^atnani,  even  after  liis  misfortune  from  the  as- 
sault of  diseases  He  was  ihv.  life  of  every  st)cial 
circle  of  whi(;h  he  formed  a  part,  and  as  popular 
with  all  his  friends  as  any  man  could  reasonably 
wish  to  be  considered.  lie  loved  his  joke  as 
w^ell  as  anybody  ;  and  lost  few  opportunities 
of  having  it,  even  at  the  expense  of  his  best 
friend.  lie  was  nowise  inclilferent  to  th(;  pleas- 
ures of  the  table,  but  could  always  tell  a  good 
piece  of  meat,  from  the  first  taste  of  it.  One 
of  his  descendants  told  the  writer  that  "  he  could 
play  the  knife  and  fork  as  briskly  as  a  drummer 
could  his  drumsticks."  In  all  respects,  Israel 
Putnam  was  a  hearljj  man.  It  was  this  very 
quality  that  made  him  so  sincere,  so  honest,  so  de- 
voted, and  so  brave.  Such  a  man  could  have  no 
half-way  ojVmions;  and  what  he  honestly  thought, 
that  he  never  hesitated  to  speak  boldly  out.  To 
the  very  last  <lay  of  his  existence,  he  retained  the 
possession  of  all  these  marked  traits  of  char- 
acter, together  with  thi^  customary  brightness 
and  vigor  of  his  mental  faculties.  He  made 
friends  wherever  he  went ;  and  he  understood 
the  secret  —  if  it  is  a  secret  —  r*"  '  them. 


u 


w 


2C>'2 


GEN.    ISRAEL   I'UTNAM. 


The  siitnc  hiibils  of  iu'tivijy  llial.  li;i(l  cliarar- 
Icrizcd  liiiii  IVdmi  liis  youth  up,  asHisird  1<>  pri^ 
servo  his  licalth  as  loiii,'  as  it,  was  jjicsfrvcd  to 
him  ;  atul  onl\-  a  lew  weeks  helore  tlie  hnal 
suMUuoiis  eanie  to  call  hitu  away,  lie  ])erlornie(.l 
a  journey  on  hors«*l)aelv  to  Dauver^^,  his  hirth- 
plae(\  a  distance  of  a  hundred  miles.  But.  h(^ 
travelled  sh)wlv,  resting  as  often  as  was  neeessary 
aU)njL!^  on  tlie  road. 

Immediately  uj)on  tiie  ('onelusit)n  of  tiie  Treaty 
of  P«aee  between  the  United  IStatcs  and  (Jreat 
Britain,  by  llie  terms  of  wliieh  \\\c  former  were 
declared  to  be  free  and  'udependent  States, 
Wasliini2;ton  addresstul  a  letter  1o  the  war-w^orn 
hero  in  his  retirenuMit,  in  whieh  lie  said  that 
"  amonir  the  many  worthy  and  meritorious  of- 
fleers  with  whom  hi'  had  had  the  hap|»iness  to 
be  eonneeted  in  service  tliroiigh  the  war,  and 
from  whose  elu'crful  assistance  and  advice  he 
had  received  much  support  and  confidence,  f/ir. 
inime  of  a  Vntnam  is  not  forij^otfni  ;  nt)r  will  be, 
but  witli  that  stroVe  of  timt^  which  shall  oblit- 
erate from  my  mmd  the  remend)rance  of  \\\\ 
those  toils  and  fatijj^ues  throiigh  which  we  have 
stiuggled,  lor  the  preservation  and  establishment 


H 


M 


Ills   LAST   D.iYS. 


2G3 


oHho  Ui^rhis,  Lib,.,.ii<.s,  and  iiidcpr.KlnKc  of  our 

C/Oliiilry." 

Miwiy  an(.o(lof(.s  am  rdatcd  of  (;,.„.  Pnfnam, 
some  of  wl.ich  hav.;  a  f<,u„dafion   in  Inilh,  whilJ 
•"<>••<',  |)r„bai>Iy,  iakc   (l.rir   risn  only   in    Oio   i,n- 
agif.Mllons  <,f  U.(,s(.  who  gave  iUvin  tlu-  first  Htart 
i"  11h'  world.     Among  thmi   all,   however,  1hf.r<; 
is   one  whieh    is   ,,ui(e    good    enough,   old    as   it 
inay  he  to  many,  <o  reprodne.'  in  this  biography. 
A  eerlain    Knglish    oliieer,   who   was   a   prisoner 
on   his  par(,l(.,  or  word  of  honor,  took  mortal  of- 
fence  at  some  sharp  remarks  in  whieh  the  Oen- 
oral    had    indnlg.'d    respecting    tin;    JJriti.sh,    and 
ciiallenged    him,    thinking    this  the   easiest   way 
to    take    satisfaction    and    correct    the   (General's 
candid  opinion  at  the  same  time.     Putnam  ac- 
cepted  liis  braggart  challer.ge  without   any  hesi- 
tation,  and  ])roposed  to  meet  him  in  the  follow- 
ing  way: —  On    the    next    morning,   they   were 
both    to    be    at   a  certain    i)lace    by   a    specified 
hour,    and    Putnam,    who    was    the    challenged 
party,  and   of  course    had    choice  of  them,  was 
to    provide    the    weapons.       When    the    English 
officer    arrived    at    the    place    agreed    upon^  he 
found    Putnam   seated   on   a    bench,    on    which 


If^ 


2G4 


GEN.    ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 


11 


'■I  i 


stood  C1O80  hcsiilo  liini  a  keg  of  what  was,  to 
ni)j)('aranco,  jtnwdvr.  X  hole  was  bort^d  into 
the  hoad,  and  a  match  had  bocMi  thrust  into  the 
hole,  all  roady  to  be  lighted.  Putnam  removed 
his  j)i|)e  from  his  mouth,  and  told  the  English- 
man to  sit  down  on  the  bench  on  the  other 
side  of  the  keg.  As  soon  as  the  latter  had 
complied,  Putnam  lit  tlie  match  bv  his  pipe, 
and  began  to  smoke  again  with  as  much  un- 
concern as  if  there  was  no  possible  danger. 
His  opponent  sat  and  watched  the  burning  of 
the  match  as  long  as  he  could,  and  then  be- 
gan to  grow  nervous.  The  moment  the  fire 
came  near  to  the  few  grains  of  powder  that 
lay  scattered  about  on  the  head  of  the  barrel, 
the  officer  sprang  up  in  great  haste  and  ran  off 
at  the  top  of  his  speed  ! 

"  You  are  just  as  brave  a  man  as  I  thought 
you  was  !  "  exclaimed  the  triumphant  Putnam. 
"  This  is  only  a  keg  of  onions.,  with  a  little 
powder  sprinkled  over  its  head,  to  try  your 
pluck  !     I  see  you  don't  like  the  amell  I  " 

He  had  the  laugh  against  the  Englishman, 
who  nevei  forgave  him  for  the  mock  test  to 
which  he  thus  publicly  put  his  personal  courage. 


HIS   LAST  DAYS. 


2^5 


vns,  to 
d    into 
nto  the 
■moved 
Inglish- 
3    other 
;er   had 
IS   pipe, 
ach  un- 
danger. 
iihig  of 
hen  be- 
the   fire 
der  that 
3  barrel, 
ran  off 

thought 

Putnam. 

a   little 

try  -your 

• 

^lishman, 
\z  test  to 
.  courage. 


It  is  not  necessary,  after  giving  tliis  connected 
narrative  of  the  life  and  services  of  a  man  like 
Israel  Putnam,  to  set  about  the  task  of  summing 

o 

up  those  qualities  of  his  character  which  every 
reader  has  observed  for  himself  in  passing  alon^r. 
It  affords  one  sincere  pleasure,  however,  to  know 
that  his  early  habits  of  industry  and  thrift  had 
placed  him  beyond  the  reach  of  want  in  his  old 
age,  which  unhappily  could  not  be  said  of  manv 
others  of  that   band  of  patriots  to  whose  sacri- 
fices  we   owe    what  we  ei.joy  so  freely  to-day. 
He  had  as  pleasant  a  home  as  a  man  could  de- 
sire ;    his    large    family,   already  grown   up  and 
settled    around   him,  found  the   same    happiness 
in  his  society  that  he  did  in  theirs  ;  and,  blessed 
in  all  things,  at  peace  with  the  world,  and  with 
a  soul  full  of  tranquillity,  ho  came  to  his  end  at 
last  like  a  shock  of  corn  that  is  ripe  in  its  sea- 
son. 

Two  days  before  his  death,  he  was  violently 
attacked  with  an  inflammatory  disorder,  which 
obstinately  refused  to  yield  to  the  ordinary  rem- 
edies of  medicine  ;  and  on  the  19th  day  of  May, 
in  the  year  1790,  he  passed  away  peacefully  and 
quietly,  having   reached    the   seventy-third   year 

23 


206 


GEN.  ISRAEL   PUTNAM. 


of  an  lionorahln  nw.  ITis  iKMjjjhbors  horc  him 
to  llic  grave  willi  every  manifestutioii  of  sin- 
core  sorrow  for  his  loss  ;  and  the  news  of  his 
death  was  received  with  feelings  of  unniingled 
grief  all  over  the  country.  Thus  did  he  live  for 
seven  full  years  to  witness  and  participate  in 
the  happiness  of  tiie  country  whose  independ- 
ence he  had  assisted  to  achieve,  and  i*^  gave 
him  lasting  joy  to  know  that  the  part  he  had 
taken  in  the  strniifsfle  was  not  a  hcsitatin<?  or 
an  inconsiderable  one.  Dr.  Whitney,  iiis  old 
pastor,  preached  a  discourse  appropriate  to  his 
death,  from  which  the  folio  ving  paragra[)li  is 
an  interesting  extract: 

"  lie  was  eminently  a  person  of  public  spirit, 
an  unshaken  friend  of  liberty,  and  was  j)roof 
against  attemptt)  to  induce  him  to  betray  and 
desert,  his  country.  The  baitr.  to  do  so  were 
rejected  with  the  utmost  abhorrencco  lie  was 
of  a  kind,  benevolent  dispositic  n ;  pitiful  to  the 
distressed,  charitable  to  the  needy,  and  ready 
to  assist  all  who  wanted  his  help.  In  his  family 
he  was  the  tender,  affectionate  husband,  the 
provident  father,  an  example  of  industry  and 
close   application  to  business.     He  was  a  cou' 


HIS   LAST  DAYS. 


2G7 


>re  him 

of   sill- 

of   his 
mingled 

live  for 
ij)iite  in 
iJepend- 

i*^   £Tave 

he  had 
ating  or 
,  hiri  old 
to  to  his 
igraph   is 

(lie  spirit, 
^as   proof 
?tray  and 
,   so   were 
He  was 
ful  to  the 
ind   ready 
his  family 
jband,   tbft 
lustry  and 
^as   a  coil' 


stant  altond.mt  upon  llic  pnblif.  worship  of  God, 
from  liis  youth  up.     He  brought   his  family  with 
hirn,  wlicu  he  came  to  worship  the  Lord.      He 
was  not  ashamod  of  family  religion.     His  house 
was  a  house  of  prayer.     For  many  years,  he  was 
a  professor  of  n^ligion.      L,  the  last  years  of  his 
life,   he  often  expressed  a  great  regard  for  God, 
and  the  things  of  God.     There  is  one,  at  least,' 
to  whom  he  freely  diselosed  the  workings  of  his 
mind;  his  eonviction  of  sin;  his  grief  for  il  ;  jiis 
depe.idenee  on  God,  through  the  R<>deemer!  for 
pardon;  and  his  hope  of  a  happy  future  existenee, 
whenever  his  strength  and  heart  should  fail  him.' 
This  one  makes  mention  of  these  things,  for  the 
satisfaction    and    comfort   cC    his    children     and 
friends;    and    can    add,    that,    being    with     the 
General   a   little   before   he  died,   he   asked    him 
whether    his    hope   of  future    happiness,    as    for- 
merly expressed,   now   attended    him.      His    an- 
swer was  in  the  afhrmative;    with  a  declaration 
of  his  resignation  to   the   will  of  God,  and   his 
willingness  even  then  to  die." 

He  left  a  large  family,  whose  descendants  live 
to  honor  the  name  of  their  ancestor  in  all  parts 
of   our   common    country.       The    various    relics 


a 


f 

,       1 

u 


H-* 


1 


>; 


208 


GKN.    ISKAEL   I'UTNAM. 


wliicli  brinsf  np  bis^  porsonal  ronnortion  w'lfk 
tin*  I'^ciicli  iiiid  IndiMii,  and  the  RcvoliitiDiiary 
War,  arc  jjrcscrvcd  with  sacred  soliciludc. 
Ain()ii<j^  ilicHC  an*  llic  ))isj()ls  of  IMajor  Pilcairn, 
with  one  of  wli'u  !i  Ihe  latter  opened  llic  llevo- 
lulion  on   Le\inij;ton   (Ireen. 

The  duM  of  tlie  old  Hero  lies  in  ihn  little 
biiryinijj-gronnd  of  tlie  villa<;e  of  Bri)ol\lyn,  — 
wliieli  village  was  onee  a  jiart  of  Ponifrel, 
—  and  there  minijjles  |)eae('fully  with  tin;  soil. 
The  tomb,  —  a  briek-struetnr(>,  iij)on  wiiieh  rests 
a  weather-br*  .vned  shib,  —  is  fast  going  to  do- 
cay,  and  8aerilegions  hands  have  chipped  oH' 
pieces  of  the  marble  slab  to  carry  away  as  tri- 
fling memorials.  The  State  of  Connecticut,  how- 
ever, has  pledged  herself  to  aid  generonsly  in  the 
erection  of  a  suitable  monument,  to  be  placed 
upon  the  open  green  of  the  village,  where  all 
who  pass  may  be  reminded  of  the  man  whose 
labors  and  sacrifices  brought  them  so  priceless 
a  legacy.  Upon  the  present  fast-fading  slab  that 
crowns  the  dilapidated  vault,  is  to  be  traced  the 
following  feeling  and  highly  aj)propriate  inscrip- 
tion, from  the  pen  of  his  friend  and  companion  in 
the  army,  Dr.  Dwiglit,  President  of  Yale  College: 


HIS   LAST  DAYS. 

SACHKi)  in:  Tins  moxu.mkxt, 

to  (he  meiiioiy 

of 

IfiUAET.     PUTXAM,      HSQurRB. 

Senior  M.j<„-(ien..n.l  in  ,1,,,  an„io« 

of 

tlu3UniMSf,.f,.sofAmmVn. 

was  lH)ni  fit  Sjilrtii, 

In  tho  iWin.'o  „(■  Mnssm-,ln,.sottfl. 

on  tho  7th  «Ii,y„r  January, 

A.   I).    17iy^ 

"11(1  (Ii(.(I 

on  the  lOtJMh.yofMay, 

A.  I).  1790. 

1' A  H  «  K  N  O  i;  u  , 

if  thou  art  a  sohh'or, 
'Irop  a  f,.,,r  over  tho  dust  of  a  Hero 
who,  ' 

t^vcr  atk'iitivo 

to  Ihc  lives  and  happiness  of  his  men, 
•lined  lo  h-nd 

whtTo  any  (hired  (o  follow; 

renchirod  thy  country 
byhora.not.vho,sU.op,shencaththis,narble.. 

render  uehecrfultrihutc  of  respect 

to  a  man, 

wlioso  ffcnerosity  was  singular, 

whoso  honesty  was  proverI,ial  • 

-  •     ,    .  who  ' 

rmsed   h.mself  to  universal   esteem. 

and  oflices  of  eminent  distinction, 

1*7  personal  worth 

and  a 

23*      "^^'^"'  'i^«- 


2G9 


^ } 


270 


GEN.    ISRAEL   PUTNAM. 


Tho  brave  old  mfiii,  who  never  knew  the 
rrie;uiini(  of  fear,  slee|)s  cjniclly  in  lliis  Inunblc 
grave.  A  devious  path  lias  been  worn  among 
the  hillocks  of  the  little  yard,  by  the  feet  of 
those  who  have  couie,  year  after  year,  to  look 
upon  his  last  resting  j)lnce.  On  \hc  still  snin- 
mer  afternoons,  th(^  eriekets  chirp  nionrnfnlly 
in  the  long  wild  grass,  and  the  southerly  breeze 
wails  in  th(^  belt  of  pines  that  neighbor  upon 
the  spot.  Th(^  associations  are  ail  of  a  thought- 
ful sadness.  JJut  it  is  good  for  one  to  visit  the 
graves  of  the  heroes  who  have  departed,  where 
he  may  kindle  anew  that  seniiment  of  patriot- 
ism, without  which  he  can  become  neither  an 
estimable  citizen  nor  a  noble  man. 


THE     END. 


know  the 
lis  hnml)le 
DiMi  airiong 
ho  foot  of 
ir,   to   k)ok 

still  Hiiin- 
monni  fully 
KM'ly  breeze 
rhbor  upon 
f  a  thought- 

to  visit  the 
irted,  where 

of  patriot- 

ncithcr  an 


(li-i* 


